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Keeping things healthy and delicious with this Cauliflower Shawarma with Green Tahini and Fried Halloumi. Middle eastern seasoned cauliflower, roasted with chickpeas, and served up bowl style with hummus, fresh naan, arugula, and even some fried Halloumi cheese. This quick-cooking, easy sheet pan dinner comes together in under forty-five minutes. It’s colorful, healthy, and beyond good. Incorporate this into your weekly dinner rotation or prep ahead of time and enjoy for lunch throughout the week.
Happy Monday! Hoping you’ve all had an amazing weekend. It’s March, it’s a new week, I’m off to LA tomorrow, and we have such a delicious recipe to be talking about today! Can you tell I am excited? I’ve personally had some harder days recently (as have some family members). All is fine, it’s just life running its day to day course, but it’s been a mix of emotions over here. That said, I’m coming off of a couple of good days and feeling my confidence slowing building itself back up. I’m a little anxious about all the upcoming travel and time away, but certainly nothing new there. I guess I’m learning to live with being uncomfortable a bit.
Now, moving onto today’s recipe. It’s almost vegan, extra delicious, easy to throw together, and what I’m calling the ideal Monday night dinner. And you guys? This is how cauliflower should taste. It should be seasoned up perfectly with middle eastern spices, roasted until crispy, and finished with a little extra salt. And then…add in all the other extra-delicious elements to this bowl.
It’s as close to perfect as it gets…and honestly, it’s just another way to enjoy a bowl of hummus and middle eastern-inspired “street food” for dinner.
Plus, it’s healthy too!
Shawarma is a middle eastern street food made with roasted meat. Originally lamb was used, but it’s often made with chicken, beef, or pork as well. The meat is then seasoned well and usually served inside a pita, or on a plate with hummus. There is no meat involved in today’s Shawarma, but instead, we’re using a head of cauliflower and a can of chickpeas.
Is this traditional? No, not at all. But is this delicious and a fun vegetarian twist on classic street food? Yes, absolutely.
This dinner comes together quickly and is made almost entirely on one sheet pan. Add the cauliflower and chickpeas and season them well with plenty of garlic, smoked paprika (very important for flavor), cumin, and lemon. Next, add in sesame seeds and toss in olive oil. Yes, toss, toss, toss. Then roast in the oven until the cauliflower is charred and the chickpeas are extra crisp.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, make the tahini. Literally all you need to do is toss everything into a blender and blend until smooth. It’s a mix of nutty creamy tahini, fresh cilantro, and lemon juice. Next add in some honey for a subtle sweetness and then a pinch of salt to tie it all together. Simple, fresh and so good.
Yes, you do. What is Halloumi you ask?
Halloumi is a salty grilling cheese commonly used in Mediterranean cooking. I love incorporating it into dishes like spicy peanut soup, vegetarian tacos, and my peanut noodles. It adds such great flavor and gives the perfect crispy, salty bite. And honestly, what’s better than pan-fried cheese? Not much.
If for some odd reason you can’t find Halloumi. First I would recommend asking your grocery store to special order it for you. They should do this free of charge and trust me, this cheese is worth the extra effort.
Second, if you really can’t get your hands on some Halloumi, swap in feta. Still delicious.
Swirl the hummus in the bottom of a low bowl and then layer in the cauliflower and chickpeas. Add fresh arugula, avocado, and cucumbers. Generously drizzle on the green tahini and finish with naan. You know you can’t forget the naan.
It’s kind of like eating at a middle eastern restaurant, but vegetarian style, and in the coziness of your own home. Personally, I am all about this.
So much color, so much flavor, incredibly healthy. And so, so, SO GOOD!
Oh, and fast and easy too. I mean, come on, you gotta agree…best Monday Recipe!
And the final added bonus? This cauliflower shawarma is perfect for meal prepping and I’ve included all the steps for doing so in the recipe. Enjoy!
Lastly, if you make this cauliflower shawarma with green tahini and fried Halloumi, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Made this for meatless monday tonight and it was SO GOOD. I don’t even like cauliflower very much but all the spices and the green sauce give it a ton of flavor. Swapped a generous sprinkle of feta for halloumi (couldn’t find) and it was still delicious.
That is so great to hear! I am glad this still turned out so well for you, Katelyn! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Hi Tiegan,
How did you calculate the calorie count on this? Does that include the halloumi/pita/hummus/ -!: tahini? It seems quite low
Thank you.
Hi Rebecca! It does not include the hummus or pita! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just made this for a late lunch. Filling and delicious!
Thank you! xTieghan
This is so good! I made it after work the other night for my son and a visiting friend – we got 4 servings from it. Ha! They loved it. Did get the Halloumi which was new to us and delicious, but I think I needed to drain it or something because a lot of moisture came out in the pan, but my son couldn’t get enough of it. Used parsley and the tahini sauce was great. Even shared your website with a friend who is vegan for health and his wife who is excited to find interesting recipes.
Hi Carol! I am so glad this turned out so well for you all! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
I skipped the halloumi to make it vegan, and it was delicious! I’ll definitely make this again. Thanks for all of the fabulous recipes!
Thank you Andrea! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
Just realized you forgot the avocado in the recipe list…I was looking at the image of the completed dish while at the grocery store and saw it!
Oh so good! I hope you love this recipe, Erin! Let me know how it turns out for you! xTieghan
Made this tonight. It was AMAZING. Really enjoyed the flavours and textures. Husband enjoyed it too. This will definitely be part of our regular meals! Thank you!
Hi Mitsuko! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
My tahini is really thick, doesn’t drizzle. Suggestions?
HI! Try adding 1/4 water to the tahini to help loosen it up! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This looks super good! The Instagram story includes parsley in the tahini, but don’t see it in the recipe. Can you skip it? Excited to try this!
Hi Dana! Yes, you can skip! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know how this turns out for you! xTieghan
Tonight I made the Cauliflower Shawarma!! We loved it!! I substituted paneer cheese for the halloumi, it worked great. Keep the recipes coming Tieghan!
Thank you so much for trying it Jill! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Added chicken and doubled the spices. Served the with everything she mentioned. Absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much Brynn! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Making it ASAP. One question, normally I love cilantro, but am currently pregnant and now it smells like dirty socks to me lol, is there something else you’d recommend subbing for it? Parsley maybe?
Hi! Basil or parsley should work great! I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This sounds so good! The halloumi is non traditional, but a perfect addition and accent. ? Xx
Thank you so much Kelly! xTieghan
I love Halloumi, but if it’s not available, I sometimes swap Queso Fresco. It has the same texture and holds up to frying. Beautiful dish, Tieghan!
Thank you so much! xTieghan
you had me at halloumi
Haha yes! Thank you Ruth! xTieghan