Aubergine, halloumi & harissa skillet bake Recipe
A delicious and comforting skillet bake featuring tender aubergine and salty halloumi cooked in a spicy harissa tomato sauce, perfect served with flatbreads, rice, or couscous for a flavorful vegetarian meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Produce
- 1 large aubergine, sliced into rounds about ½cm thick
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
Pantry
- 2–4 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- pinch of dried mint
Dairy
- 225g block halloumi, sliced into 8–9 pieces
To Serve
- Flatbreads, rice or couscous, to serve
Instructions
- Prepare and Cook Aubergine: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a roughly 22cm ovenproof skillet or frying pan. Add the aubergine slices in a single layer (do this in batches if necessary) and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and softened. Add another 1 tbsp oil between batches as needed. Transfer cooked aubergine to a plate.
- Make Harissa Tomato Sauce: If the pan is dry after cooking aubergine, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Fry the crushed garlic until sizzling but not coloured. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, harissa paste, caster sugar, and a pinch of salt. Let the mixture bubble for a minute, mashing the tomatoes slightly. Then remove the pan from heat and let the sauce cool slightly.
- Arrange Ingredients in Skillet: Halve each halloumi piece (they may fall apart, which is fine). Arrange the aubergine and halloumi slices in overlapping concentric circles on top of the tomato sauce, placing one or two halloumi pieces between each aubergine slice. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with dried mint.
- Bake the Skillet: Cover the pan with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) or gas mark 4 for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the halloumi starts to brown.
- Serve: Serve the aubergine, halloumi, and harissa tomato skillet bake hot with warm flatbreads, rice, or couscous on the side.
Notes
- Use an ovenproof skillet or frying pan so you can transfer it easily from stovetop to oven.
- Halloumi can be delicate when sliced in half; gentle handling is recommended.
- The harissa paste can be adjusted to your preferred spice level.
- This dish pairs wonderfully with fluffy couscous or warm flatbreads to soak up the sauce.
- For a vegan alternative, replace halloumi with firm tofu and use a vegan cheese substitute.
Keywords: aubergine skillet bake, halloumi recipes, harissa recipes, vegetarian Mediterranean dishes, easy dinner ideas
