This recipe is for tasty, delicious and easy Grilled Halloumi & Eggplant Bites with Chimichurri. These delicious bites only require a few easy ingredients and are ready in only 15 minutes. Serve them as appetizers, finger food, as a side dish or include them in a buffet. They are both vegetarian, gluten, grain free and low carb.
As you might know I love making small appetizers and finger foods. Key is always that they should be quick and easy to make, but still be tasty and delicious. I always feel that making some kind of appetizer or finger food adds so much value to your evening/dinner, because it gets your tastebuds going and are a festive way of adding that something extra. And these halloumi and eggplant bites are no exception. Imagine warm, salty melted halloumi wrapped in tender creamy eggplant topped with a fresh, bit spicy and flavorful chimichurri. How divine does that sound? Just perfect if you ask me! It’s a great mix of warm, salty, creamy, fresh, spicy and zesty. You only need a few key ingredients and 15 minutes to make them. But not only are they great to serve as appetizers or finger food, you can also make them as a side dish to your main course or include them in a buffet. These halloumi and eggplant bites are both vegetarian, gluten, grain free and low carb.
A few tips:
- I prefer to prepare the chimichurri in advance so that it gets the proper time to sit and soak up all the flavors.
- I would recommend you to salt your eggplant slices for at least 20 minutes. This removed the excess water, makes the eggplant more creamy and less bitter. But this step can be omitted.
- The grill time will vary depending on how hot your grill is. But an approximate time is five minutes for the eggplants on each side and 2-3 minutes for the halloumi.
- You can also prepare these bites in a grill pan if you don’t have a grill.
- Start by grilling/frying the eggplants and then add the halloumi when you’ve turned the eggplants.
Ingredients for these Grilled Halloumi & Eggplant Bites with Chimichurri:
- Halloumi
- Eggplant
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Red chili
- Lemon
- Water
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Other recipes you might like:
- Grilled Vegetable Bites with Mozzarella & Pesto (Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Grilled Artichokes with Lemon & Caper Dip
- Aubergine/Eggplant Rolls with Spiced Cauliflower Couscous Salad (Vegan, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Zucchini Rolls with Ricotta & Prosciutto (Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Halloumi Tacos (Vegetarian, Gluten & Grain Free)
- Grilled Mini Aubergines/Eggplants with Herb Gremolata (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Grilled Avocado with Roasted Quinao (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Grilled Halloumi & Eggplant Bites with Chimichurri (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 1 package Halloumi sliced (about 8 slices)
- 8 slices Eggplant
- Olive oil
- Salt
For the chimichurri
- 1 dl Parsley finely chopped
- 1 dl Cilantro finely chopped
- 1 Shallot minced
- 1-2 Garlic cloves minced
- 1/2-1 Red chili minced
- 2-3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 dl Olive oil
- 1/2 dl Water (or more olive oil)
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Add the ingredients for the chimichurri in a high speed blender and mix until smooth. Taste to check if more seasoning is needed. Set aside in a bowl.
- Slice the eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for about 20 minutes. Drain in water and dry path the eggplant using clean paper towels (this step can be skipped but is recommended since it makes the eggplant less bitter, makes it more tender and creamy).
- Turn on the grill or a grill pan and brush it with some olive oil.
- Slice the halloumi.
- Brush the eggplant with some olive oil, grill for about 5 minutes, until grill marks start to form. Then flip and grill on the other side for about 5 more minutes.
- At the same time as you flip the eggplant add the halloumi and grill until grill marks start to form, then turn side. This takes about 2-3 minutes for each side, depending on how warm your grill is.
- When both the eggplants and halloumi are done make the rolls by adding a slice of halloumi on top of a slice of eggplant and then roll together. Repeat with the remaining slices.
- Place on a plate and top with chimichurri.