Low-Carb Roast Pumpkin & Halloumi Salad

There’s something magical about the combination of naturally sweet roast pumpkin and salty stringy fried halloumi that just makes my taste buds sing. Such a simple salad, ready in just 20 minutes but one that never fails to disappoint.

Make for a healthy lunch, a speedy weeknight keto dinner or a fantastic salad for your BBQ spread. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Note: This salad is a healthy carb-up option. If your daily carb intake is less than 20 grams of net carbs or you follow the restricted keto diet, substitute part of the pumpkin with roasted zucchini.

Step-by-step

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 390 °F (fan assisted.)

2. Place the chopped pumpkin on a baking tray. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, paprika and pinch of salt. Roast in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until soft and golden.

   

3. Whilst the pumpkin is cooking, heat the butter or ghee in a non-stick pan, add the halloumi and fry for 4 – 6 minutes stirring occasionally until golden and crisp. Remove from the heat.

   

4. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Option to thin with a touch of warm water if you prefer.

   

5. Place the almonds on a baking tray and toast for 6 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

6. Place the watercress in a bowl, top with pumpkin, halloumi, avocado, almonds...

   ...and drizzle with dressing.

   Best served fresh, but can be stored in the fridge for 1 day.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Roast Pumpkin & Halloumi Salad

★★★★☆4.2 (33 ratings)

Tasty low-carb vegetarian salad made with roast pumpkin and halloumi cheese on a bed of nutrient-dense greens.

Hands on

20m

Overall

20m

Servings

2

9.4 g

Net carbs

18.9 g

Protein

51.1 g

Fat

570

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 2 servings

• 1 ¹/₄ cups diced pumpkin (no need to peel if using Hokkaido, Delicata or Kabocha) (145 g/ 5.1 oz)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (15 ml)
• 1 tsp paprika
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tbsp butter or ghee (15 g/ 0.5 oz)
• 110 g halloumi, cubed (3.9 oz)
• 200 g watercress (7.1 oz)
• ¹/₂ avocado, sliced (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 3 tbsp flaked almonds (18 g/ 0.6 oz)
• Dressing
• 1 tbsp tahini (16 g/ 0.6 oz)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (15 ml)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (15 ml)
• ¹/₈ tsp sea salt
• ¹/₈ tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 390 °F (fan assisted.)

2. Place the chopped pumpkin on a baking tray. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, paprika and pinch of salt. Roast in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until soft and golden.

3. Whilst the pumpkin is cooking, heat the butter or ghee in a non-stick pan, add the halloumi and fry for 4 – 6 minutes stirring occasionally until golden and crisp. Remove from the heat.

4. Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl. Option to thin with a touch of warm water if you prefer.

5. Place the almonds on a baking tray and toast for 6 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

6. Place the watercress in a bowl, top with pumpkin, halloumi, avocado, almonds...

   ...and drizzle with dressing.

   Best served fresh, but can be stored in the fridge for 1 day.

Nutrition per serving

Carbs 7%Protein 13%Fat 80% of calories

Net carbs

9.4 g

Total carbs

15.8 g

Fiber

6.5 g

Sugars

3.2 g

Protein

18.9 g

Fat

51.1 g

Saturated fat

17 g

Calories

570 kcal

Sodium

871 mg · 37.9% RDA

Magnesium

105 mg · 26.2% RDA

Potassium

989 mg · 49.4% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per serving	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Pumpkin, fresh	4.4 g	0.7 g	0.1 g	19
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	6.8 g	60
Paprika, spices	0.2 g	0.2 g	0.1 g	3
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed	0 g	0.1 g	5.8 g	51
Halloumi (Cypriot cheese)	1.1 g	11 g	14.9 g	181
Watercress, fresh	0.8 g	2.3 g	0.1 g	11
Avocado, fresh	0.9 g	1 g	7.3 g	80
Almonds, nuts (flaked, sliced)	0.6 g	2.3 g	5 g	57
Sesame tahini (unsweetened)	1 g	1.4 g	4.3 g	48
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	6.8 g	60
Lemon juice, fresh	0.4 g	0 g	0 g	1
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Apple cider vinegar	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	9.4 g	18.9 g	51.1 g	570

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Pork free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Vegetarian