Chimichurri Roasted Vegetable Bowl with Grilled Cheese is a healthy vegetarian recipe perfect for an easy mouthwatering 30 minute dinner. The balance of flavors between the sweet potatoes, fresh avocado, tomatoes and rich grilled Halloumi cheese is absolutely amazing!
Roasted Vegetable Bowl
This Roasted Vegetable Bowl recipe came from one of my recent meal delivery kits. Hello Fresh knocked it out of the park with this healthy vegetarian dinner and I have since become obsessed. It was simply too good not to share with you guys with my own tweak!
Sweet potatoes and red onions are roasted on a sheet pan with a simple drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. While the root vegetables roast, whip up a quick chimichurri sauce to bring a bright freshness to the dish. It complements the rich grilled Halloumi cheese spectacularly!
The finishing touch to it all is the bright flavors that come from cherry tomatoes and creamy avocados. This roasted vegetable bowl is full of so many amazing vegetables, packed with great nutrients. It’s almost hard to believe this dish is good for you!
While no one is going to pretend that the grilled Haloumi cheese is healthy, it is all about balance. If you can eat a big bowl of vegetables topped with a little grilled cheese, I call that a win for a healthy dinner!
Grilled Halloumi Cheese
If you are like me, when you hear grilled cheese, you think of a grilled cheese sandwich. That isn’t what we are talking about here though. This is a special kind of cheese, called Halloumi, that can be grilled directly on a hot pan. It creates a fantastic caramelized crunchy outside while melting the inside into creamy goodness.
If you haven’t tried grilling Halloumi cheese yet, I highly recommend it! Just be warned that it’s so good you may be tempted to eat a slab of the hot grilled cheese all on it’s own.
Healthy Vegetarian Dinner Recipe
It could be considered overkill to serve the rich and fatty grilling cheese with a nice steak, but I won’t judge you if you add some to the roasted vegetable bowl for the meat lover in your life.
The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t need it one single bit though. The flavors of the fresh vegetables, roasted root vegetables and light chimichurri sauce create absolute perfection. It is also a filling healthy vegetarian dinner recipe as well!
Much like these Black Bean & Squash Vegetarian Enchiladas, a good vegetarian recipe with lots of hearty vegetables can be very hearty.
What is Chimichurri Sauce?
Traditional chimichurri ingredients typically include parsley, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, oregano and vinegar. In this twist on the recipe we swapped out fresh lemon juice for vinegar, cumin for oregano and cilantro for parsley.
The light lemon juice is a better balance with the delicate flavors of the vegetables and cheese. Chimichurri sauce is very often served over meat, like a nice grilled steak. Vinegar stands up to meat nicely, but in this instance lemon juice was the best choice.
I’m just not a huge fan or oregano personally. It’s not that I dislike it, but it isn’t the first spice I reach for. I have always loved the smokey flavor that cumin lends to this roasted vegetable bowl so I opted for that instead.
If you are one of those people who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, you can absolutely use parsley instead. It will offer the same freshness and appeal to more people. I just personally love cilantro.
More healthy vegetarian dinner recipes!
- Baked Honey Feta Squash & Brown Rice Salad
- Black bean burgers with pineapple salsa
- Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese Berry Salad
- Pressure Cooker Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
- Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili
- Black Bean & Squash Vegetarian Enchiladas
Chimichurri Roasted Vegetable Bowl with Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 medium red onions
- 1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil divided
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 c. fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. chopped garlic
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 8 oz. Halloumi grilling cheese
- 2 c. cherry tomatoes
- 2 avocado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Peel and cut potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces and the onion into 1/2 inch thick slices.
- Toss the potatoes and onion on a pan with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the chopped cilantro, cumin, garlic, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, 2 tsp. olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- To a large bowl, add the chopped avocado and a splash of lemon juice. Stir until the avocado is well coated so it doesn't brown. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and set aside.
- Cut the grilling cheese into 1/3 inch thick slices. When the vegetables have 5 minutes of cooking time left, heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook the cheese on each side for about 1 minute or until it is golden and crunchy.
- Add the roasted vegetables to the avocado and tomatoes and give a light toss.
- Divide between three bowls and top with the grilled cheese and a drizzle of chimichurri. Serve immediately!
Julie says
I can always count on you for simple, healthy lunch ideas. This was definitely a hit! I’ll be making it again!
Megan says
The flavors in this were amazing! I’ve never grilled cheese before but this was definitely something I will make again!
Alison LaFortune says
My kiddos love a grilled cheese. Definitely trying this!
Malinda Linnebur says
We are trying to eat healthier and more vegetables. This was a great dinner and easy to make!