Grilled Eggplant Halloumi Sandwich

This easy to make grilled eggplant sandwich with halloumi cheese is a deliciously satisfying lunch idea both vegetarians as well as omnivores will love. Ready in under 20 minutes.

My original idea for this recipe was to create a veggie burger using eggplant but in the end I decided against it.  You can try to replicate a meat burger recipe by chopping, mincing and shaping vegetarian ingredients into round patties, but this is often labour intensive.

So instead I grilled slices of eggplant (often considered a ‘meaty’ vegetable) along with intensely savoury halloumi cheese and created a filling and delicious vegetarian sandwich, perfect for summer.

Why you will love this recipe

• Grilling the eggplant does not require a lot of oil, 2 tablespoons should be enough for 1 large eggplant. So this recipe is pretty low in fat.
• You can serve this sandwich using your favourite sauce - see Serving Suggestions below.
• It's filling, healthy and delicious!

Eggplant sandwich ingredients

There is a lot of flexibility as to what ingredients you can use in this recipe.  Grilled eggplant and halloumi pair well with tomatoes, but you can use a red pepper instead if you prefer.  I added a handful of arugula leaves but baby spinach or any other salad leaves would work too.  

I usually season the eggplant before grilling it but as I am also using halloumi cheese (which is very salty) in this recipe I only sprinkled a little garlic powder over the eggplant slices.

How to prepare the eggplant

Outdoor grilling is fun but is often reliant on good weather so I tend to do indoor grilling using a griddle pan.  This can produce excellent results if you follow a few simple rules.

To prepare the eggplant cut it into about 1 cm thick slices, brush both sides with a little oil and season with garlic powder. (If I wasn't using halloumi in this recipe I would also sprinkle a little salt over the eggplant). 

Ensure the pan is hot before you place the eggplant slices in it.  Then lower the heat and cook the slices for about 5 minutes on each side.  The trick is to cook it long enough so it's tender inside while nicely browned on the outside.  That's why it's important to grill the slices over a fairly low heat.

Once your eggplant slices are tender you can increase the heat towards the end of cooking to get nice brown markings (this may not be needed).

Assembling the recipe

1.Once you have grilled your eggplant lightly grease and heat up the griddle pan to prepare the halloumi cheese.  Grill the halloumi over a medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side. The cheese will soften as it heats up so be careful turning it over - it may tear.

2. Assemble the sandwich immediately (the halloumi will harden as it cools) by creating layers of salad leaves, eggplant, halloumi and tomato slices.  Add a dollop of your favourite sauce (see Serving Suggestions below), cover with the other bread slice and enjoy!

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Do not overcrowd the griddle pan.  Fry the eggplant over a fairly low heat so it has time to cook through without becoming brown too quickly.  Grill the halloumi briefly over a medium heat.
• Prepare the halloumi when you are ready to assemble the sandwich.  Grilled halloumi should be served immediately as it becomes tough and chewy as it cools.
• What bread to use: Any! Use burger buns, ciabatta bread, regular bread and even wraps to make your sandwich.
• Grilled eggplant can be served hot or cold.
• Not suitable for freezing.

Serving suggestions

What I really love about this eggplant sandwich is that it can be served with a variety of sauces.  It's equally delicious with healthy ranch dip and homemade bbq sauce.  Or you can give it a Mediterranean twist and serve it with avocado pesto sauce or a drizzle of homemade sun dried tomato pesto. 

You might also like

• Simple Roasted Eggplant (Baba Ganoush)
• Vegan Beets Quinoa Burgers
• Vegan Stuffed Eggplant with Quinoa in Tomato Sauce
• Sweet Potato Burgers (Vegan, Gluten Free)

You might also like my post on how to eat more veggies for breakfast as well as this collection of healthy vegetarian pasta meals.

Keep in touch!

If you made this grilled eggplant sandwich I'd love to know how it turned out for you. What sauce did you serve it with? Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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