Shawarma-Spiced Halloumi
with Pistachio Rice, Garlicky White Sauce & Israeli Salad
- Tree Nuts
- Milk
Shawarma spice is not just for meat on a stick—and this veg-ified meal is proof. Our chefs took halloumi cheese (a sturdy grilling cheese that crisps up on the outside and gets melty on the inside as it's heated) and seasoned it all over with shawarma spice. The seared cheese is paired with other Middle Eastern–inspired favorites: pistachio-flecked rice, Israeli cucumber-tomato salad, and a drizzle of garlicky white sauce. This meal is equal parts crispy, creamy, and refreshing.
Ingredients
1 unit
Veggie Stock Concentrate
2 tablespoon
Sour Cream
8 ounce
Grilling Cheese
½ ounce
Pistachios
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
1 unit
Lemon
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Mini Cucumber
4 ounce
Grape Tomatoes
1 tablespoon
Shawarma Spice Blend
1 teaspoon
Hot Sauce
1 unit
Shallot
½ cup
Basmati Rice
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
2 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice shallot; mince a few slices until you have 2 TBSP (4 TBSP for 4 servings). Peel and mince or grate garlic. Roughly chop pistachios. Trim and halve cucumber lengthwise; thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Halve tomatoes lengthwise. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Melt 1 TBSP butter in a small pot over medium-high heat (use 2 TBSP butter and a medium pot for 4 servings). Add minced shallot, half the garlic, half the pistachios (save the rest for serving), half the Shawarma Spice (you’ll use the rest later), and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. • Stir in rice, stock concentrate, ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4), and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• In a medium bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, and as much sliced shallot as you like. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, a big squeeze of lemon juice, a pinch of lemon zest, salt, and pepper. • In a small bowl, combine sour cream with remaining garlic to taste. Season with salt. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency.
• Cut grilling cheese into four large slices (eight slices for 4 servings). Place on a plate; season all over with remaining Shawarma Spice, salt, and pepper. (It’s OK if not all the spice sticks.) Shake off any excess spice blend.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add seasoned grilling cheese and cook until browned, 1-2 minutes per side.
• Fluff rice with a fork; stir in 1 TBSP butter. Season with salt and pepper. • Divide rice between shallow bowls. Top with salad and grilling cheese. Drizzle cheese with garlicky white sauce and hot sauce to taste. Sprinkle with remaining pistachios. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the shawarma spice blend and Middle Eastern-inspired flavors, calling it "delicious" and "bursting with flavor" 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to make, with clear instructions; some found grilling the cheese tricky at first.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more vegetables or protein like chicken; try cutting cheese into smaller pieces for better browning.
- Portions: Some felt servings were small; others found it very filling due to the cheese quantity.
- Texture: The grilling cheese delighted many, though some found it rubbery or melted too quickly.
Reviews from our home cooks
Ok this recipe was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Best one of your recipes I've ever made. I love halloumi, and seasoning with shawarma simply took it to the next level. It was perfect with the seasoned rice. However, the shallots were too strong/sharp for the salad. Red onion would have been more agreeable, a little milder. I can't wait to make this again.
This is the third time I've ordered a Halloumi dish from Hello Fresh, but this was far and away the best one yet. The cucumbers in my box were spoiled, so I wasn't able to make the salad, but the rice dish with Shawarma seasoning and pistachios was excellent, and the Halloumi was out of this world. I can't wait to order this one again!
The warm gooey shawarma spiced halloumi and garlicy, nutty shawarma rice was delishous the cold lemony salad on top was a refreshing contrast and the lemon offered the needed bit of acidity. VERY nice!
The cheese was definitely a softer version of halloumi than I am used to. It melted before browning and didn't have that salty, almost crumbly texture that halloumi has. Also the shawarma spice in both the rice and the cheese meant everything kind of blended together. Would like to see higher quality halloumi with more pop for its flavor.
Great flavor - I especially love the shawarma spiced rice. I don't like cheese so I didn't add it, but even without the halloumi its so flavorful!
Seriously delicious! We love the grilling cheese/halloumi, it's savory and meaty with out being heavy. It stands up to the bold flavor in the shawarma spice well, with one balancing out the other
Love the shawarma halloumi! Pistachio rice was very inventive and awesome flavor! more shawarma chicken or vegetarian meals, please!
I suggest that instead of instructing us to put the halloumi on a plate then sprinkling the Shawarma spice on the cheese, the directions should instruct us to put the spice in a container or plastic/brown bag then adding the cheese, then shaking. The cheese comes out evenly coated! 😁
This one is going on our long list of favorites. It's the perfect summer dinner. The cucumbers, tomatoes, and yogurt sauce made it fresh and crunchy while the warm rice and shawarma halloumi made it filling and comforting. So good!
Delicious! Never had shawarma spice before. Now I am a fan! We did add more sour cream and a garlic clove to the sauce. We prefer things a little saucier.
