Butter Beans and Halloumi Bake

Combining beans in a rich tomato sauce with chewy halloumi, this butter beans and halloumi bake makes the perfect vegetarian dinner. Scoop the delicious sauce with some crusty bread and enjoy it on its own or with a salad.

If you're looking for one-pot vegetarian meals that are easy to make but also super satisfying, this butter beans and halloumi bake definitely fits the bill.

Golden, chewy halloumi pairs perfectly with a rich tomato sauce infused with Mediterranean flavours like oregano, thyme, and smoked paprika.

This is a flavourful vegetarian dish that you can enjoy in its own, with a green salad or with some crusty bread. The bread you see in the pics is my crispy rosemary foccacia, which is great fro scooping the sauce right from the pan.

You only need a couple of ingredients to make this baked halloumi with beans, and you can use tinned beans for convenience. If you want to make this baked beans dish vegan, you can skip the halloumi — it's still a delicious sauce.

Why does halloumi work in this recipe?

Halloumi is a firm, mild cheese from Cyprus made from goat's or sheep's milk, or even a combination of the two. Halloumi is typically vegetarian, but make sure you check the package because sometimes it's made with rennet, which is animal-derived.

I'm a huge fan of this squeaky cheese and I make a delicious Vegetable Halloumi Lasagne and a hearty Green Lentil and Halloumi Curry with it.

Halloumi works great bakes on top of veggie sauces because it soaks up the flavours while baking, resulting in a chewy, tasty accompaniment to your favourite veggies.

For this halloumi bake recipe, I use a whole block of halloumi, which I slice and place over the sauce and beans. You can also drizzle it with more olive oil and add some extra oregano or other herbs on top if you want.

The halloumi remains slightly firm and becomes chewy when baked, developing a lovely golden crust on the outside. The inside will be squishy and soft, and you'll be likely having trouble stopping at a single serving.

Recipe tips and tricks

• You can also cut the halloumi into bite-size pieces and spread them over the sauce before baking.
• I use tinned baked beans for this recipe because I want it to be quick, and I typically have trouble remembering to soak beans overnight. If you want to use real butter beans, soak them overnight and boil them until tender before adding them to the sauce.
• You can serve this roasted halloumi and beans with crusty bread so you can scoop the last bit of sauce from the pan. If you want to go easy on the carbs, a simple salad would also work great.
• I use tinned plum tomatoes that I crush by hand for this recipe, but you can use chopped tomatoes or crushed tomatoes if you want.

If you liked this butter beans and halloumi bake, have a look at some of my other quick vegetarian recipes:

15-Minute Creamy Boursin Pasta with Artichokes

Red Lentil Coconut Dahl with Spicy Paneer

Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Parmesan and Kale

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