Quick and Easy

Grilled Halloumi & Eggplant Sandwich

June 21, 2024
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Food52
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This sandwich is great for wrapping up and bringing on the go, and makes for a delicious lunch or picnic dinner. Here I layer a baguette with sun-dried tomato pesto, grilled halloumi cheese, marinated grilled eggplant, and lots of baby arugula. Although a baguette tastes best and makes it easy to make 4 sandwiches (or 2) at once, you can swap the bread with a soft Italian sub or focaccia if desired. —Nea Arentzen

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Grilled Halloumi & Eggplant Sandwich
Ingredients
  • 1 large eggplant, cut into ½-inch slices
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
  • 2 large garlic cloves, grated
  • 1/2 cup parsley leaves and stems, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 8-ounce brick of halloumi, sliced into ¼-inch
  • Sun-dried tomato pesto
  • 2 1/2 cups baby arugula
  • 1 French baguette
Directions
  1. Arrange the sliced eggplant on a cutting board. Sprinkle with salt to draw out the moisture as you prep the dressing.
  2. In a large bowl, combine ½ cup olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pat the eggplant dry, then add to the marinade and toss to evenly coat.
  3. Heat a medium grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, then in batches, arrange the marinated eggplant in the grill pan and cook until charred and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining eggplant.
  4. Drizzle with more olive oil if needed, then cook halloumi until golden brown and charred in some spots.
  5. Cut the baguette in half lengthwise, then spread a generous amount of pesto on both sides.
  6. Place the eggplant on top, overlapping as needed, then the halloumi. Arrange the arugula over top, then drizzle lightly with more olive oil and season with more ground pepper.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: Nea Arentzen

Test Kitchen Content Creator & Recipe Developer at Food52

2 Reviews

TMILLER June 25, 2024
Made this recipe using my gas grill and it was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend if you're tired of too much meat. The grilled halloumi was firm and meaty; the eggplant picked up the smoke from the marinade dripping on the burners and the sun dried tomatoes delivered tons of flavor(my wife used basil pesto to delicious effect) Meat Eaters try this!
Also consider cutting cooked eggplant and halloumi to 1 inch cubes and put on pasta
Nea A. July 8, 2024
Hi! So glad you enjoyed it <3