Fajita Veggie & Halloumi Bowls
These hearty bowls feature roasted halloumi cheese and fajita veggies over beans and rice. This recipe is an amazing vegetarian dinner!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
These hearty bowls feature roasted fajita veggies and halloumi cheese over beans and cilantro-lime rice. This recipe makes an amazing vegetarian dinner! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you and hope the photos speak for themselves. This vibrant meal is almost too delicious for words to capture.
The bowls are a very abstract take on Mexican fajitas, which typically feature strips of bell pepper and onion cooked with steak, served with tortillas and toppings on the side. These roasted fajita veggies offer similar flavor and texture.
Halloumi cheese hails from Cyprus, an island country in the Mediterranean—far, far away from Mexico! I love halloumi because it offers a salty, creamy, chewy and almost meat-like texture once roasted. I’ve used it in place of bacon to make vegetarian BLTs. Conveniently, the veggies and cheese roast in the oven simultaneously on separate pans.
While you can absolutely serve these components with tortillas, I felt that the flavors shined more over black beans and cilantro-lime rice. The recipe for that component comes from my cookbook, Love Real Food. Try the Grilled Veggie Skewers with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce on page 160 once it’s grilling weather outside!
How to Make Fajita Veggie and Halloumi Bowls
This recipe requires several components, all simple to make. It’s an orchestrated dinner with time in between to work on the next component, and it’s 100 percent worth the effort. You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s how it comes together.
- Preheat the oven and bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat for the rice.
- Slice the peppers and onion into strips, keeping the chunks of onion intact as best you can. Drizzle them with with olive oil and sprinkle with spices, then bake them on the middle rack for 15 minutes.
- Once the pot of water is boiling, pour in the rice. Let it boil for 30 minutes. Then, drain the rice and return it to the pot, covered, to steam while we prepare the rest. (This method yields perfectly cooked brown rice, every time).
- Meanwhile, on another baking sheet, drizzle the halloumi with olive oil and sprinkle it with optional chipotle powder (for smoky flavor and some heat).
- Once the timer goes off for the peppers, remove them from the oven, stir and redistribute. When you do that, place the pan of halloumi on the top rack.
- After 10 minutes, stir and flip the cheese, moving any browning pieces more toward the middle for even cooking. Continue baking the cheese and peppers until they’re golden on the edges, about 5 more minutes.
- While the peppers are hot out of the oven, drizzle lime juice on top. To finish the rice, fluff it with a fork, then stir in chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Gently stir in the black beans.
- Assemble the bowls and enjoy.
Watch How to Make These Veggie Bowls
Serving Suggestions
This recipe is a well-balanced meal on its own. Depending on your preferred composition, you might end up with some extra beans and rice leftover like I did. The leftovers are great with crispy fried eggs, hot sauce and avocado.
For an appetizer, try tortilla chips with this Creamy Avocado Dip or my quick red salsa (or this chipotle salsa variation for smoky flavor).
For cocktails, you can’t go wrong with my favorite margaritas. Or if you love mezcal, try the Fresh Mezcalitas. For bubbly refreshment, make Ranch Waters or Classic Mojitos.
If you’d like to serve this dish with a green salad, try my Mexican Green Salad with Jalapeño-Cilantro Dressing, or make a simplified version of it.
More Recipes to Enjoy
If you love this recipe, I highly recommend these Mexican-inspired meals as well:
- Epic Vegetarian Tacos
- Fresh Black Bean Burrito Bowl
- Halloumi Tacos with Pineapple Salsa & Aji Verde
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Please let me know how your bowls turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Fajita Veggie and Halloumi Bowls
These hearty bowls feature roasted fajita veggies and halloumi cheese over beans and rice. This recipe is an amazing vegetarian dinner! Recipe yields 4 hearty bowls or 6 medium bowls.
Ingredients
Bell peppers and onion
- 3 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow)
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Halloumi
- ½ pound or more* halloumi cheese
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder or smoked paprika (optional, for heat)
Rice, beans, and toppings
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice or brown basmati rice, rinsed well
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
- Topping suggestions: Fresh cilantro, sliced avocado or dollops of guacamole, halved cherry tomatoes, sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat for the rice.
- Slice the peppers and onion into ½-inch wide long strips, keeping the chunks of onion intact as best you can.
- Place the peppers and onion on one prepared baking sheet. Drizzle them with the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper (save the lime juice for later). Toss until all of the ingredients are lightly coated, then arrange them in an even layer across the pan. Rearrange any single onion pieces from the outer edges to the interior of the pan, as they tend to burn otherwise. Bake the peppers and onions on the middle rack for 15 minutes.
- Once the pot of water is boiling, pour in the rice. Give the mixture a brief stir and let it boil for 30 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary to prevent overflow. Drain the rice, return it to the pot, cover, and let it rest for 10 minutes off the heat.
- Meanwhile, lightly pat the halloumi dry. Slice the halloumi lengthwise into pieces ¼ to ½ inch thick, then cut or tear the slabs into small, bite-sized pieces about 1-inch long. On the remaining baking sheet, drizzle the halloumi with ½ tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle all over with the optional chipotle powder. Toss until lightly coated, and arrange them in an even layer.
- Once the timer goes off for the peppers, remove them from the oven, stir and redistribute. Again move any single onion pieces to the middle, then return the baking sheet to the oven. When you do that, place the pan of halloumi on the top rack.
- After 10 minutes, stir and flip the cheese, moving any browning pieces more toward the middle. Return it to the oven for up to 5 more minutes, keeping a close eye on it as the cheese tends to brown quickly toward the end. Continue baking the pepper mixture until the peppers and onions are tender and deeply caramelized. They are typically done around the time that the halloumi is finished.
- While the peppers are hot out of the oven, drizzle the lime juice on top and stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
- To finish the rice, fluff it with a fork, then stir in the cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Add the black beans and gently stir to combine. Cover until you’re ready to serve.
- To assemble, divide the rice between four bowls, followed by the pepper mixture and cheese. Finish with any desired toppings, and enjoy warm. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Notes
*Halloumi quantity: The halloumi I buy is typically sold in sealed packages that are roughly ½ pound in weight. If possible, find one that’s on the upper end closer to 0.6 pounds (10-ish ounces) so you have plenty of cheese.
Make it dairy free/vegan: You could omit the halloumi and double the beans for more protein. Or, while it’s definitely not the same thing, you would likely enjoy my baked tofu in place of the halloumi. Add chipotle powder or smoked paprika (see recipe for quantities) for some spice. For a different dairy-free option, replace the cheese with crispy fried eggs.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I just bought halloumi cheese because I have never tried it. Isn’t life fun when recipes appear that you never knew you needed?
I hope you love this recipe!
Any suggestions for a veggie other than peppers? I know they’re pretty integral to the dish, I just really don’t like peppers but the rest sounds amazing!
The peppers are what give this dish fajita vibes, but honestly, any roasted veggies that you enjoy would be great (you may need to adjust the cooking time a bit). Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, etc.
We love fajitas, this recipe has all our favorite veggies and halloumi cheese too! I can’t wait to try it. Sounds delicious!
Enjoy!! I’m confident you’ll love it!
Made this tonight, it was super delicious.
Hooray! I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you, Catherine.
Delicious recipe and very easy to do on a Friday night! Thank you! I could not easily find halloumi at my store, so I subbed a block of feta cheese instead, cut up as your recommended for the halloumi. I also put out a tub of zhoug sauce for my husband (who likes a little spice) and it was a great addition. The onions and peppers smelled so good as they were caramelizing in the oven! Another fabulous win from your blog!
Awesome! Your version sounds wonderful. I have a recipe for homemade zhoug if you ever want to try that, love that stuff!
I made this using riced cauliflower to get a little less carbs. This is a great recipe with a nice variety of textures. I’d use even more seasoning next time to amp up the flavors.
Thanks Reba! That’s a great tip!
This is the type of recipe I’ve really been missing from you – I love your salads so much. Excited to try this one out!
Thanks Kat! Hoping to come out with more and more fun dinners soon!
I made this for our Lenten Friday night meal with friends and we all loved it. The flavors of each ingredient blended so well. I love to cook and really enjoy your recipes. It’s a dish I will make again. Thank you
You’re welcome, Cindy!
This was honestly wonderful! Hubby and I have just finished eating a bowl each for dinner, and can’t wait to have the rest tomorrow! Very luckily, halloumi is easy to find here in the UK. I’ve never tried it mixed with smoked paprika before, but I will definitely do that again!
Fantastic! Thanks, Sarah! I’m glad you can find halloumi over there, too.
Family loved this!! Even my meat eaters.
So glad to hear it! Thank you, Angela.
This was a fantastic dinner and great lunch the next day. Found Halloumi cheese (Canada) at Walmart. Heated up components separately in microwave the next day and made a fajita for lunch. Excellent, thanks Kate
Great to hear you enjoyed it, Nancy!
These are delicious! But that golden halloumi cheese with the veggies are what makes the dish! Will forgo the rice/beans next time for a recipe that I prefer, but will definitely make the roasted fajita mix again! Great on corn tortillas with extra cilantro, Mexican crema, and salsa! 5 stars!
Thank you, Bean! I appreciate your review.
This colorful dish was delicious and filling! I used a wild rice blend and added a poblano pepper with the roasted veggies.
I love halloumi but this was my first time making it and mine came out a little rubbery and not browned, compared to what I’ve eaten in restaurants. I patted it dry and brushed it with olive oil. I’d love any suggestions on how to improve that for next time.
I’m excited you loved it, Deb! I appreciate your review.
We love all the recipes we’ve tried so far but this and the Christmas enchiladas are my 2 favorites. Could eat this every day!
Made this last night for dinner absolutely amazing, I wish i had doubled the recipe. So many of your recipes we make weekly if not daily. love your cook book
Absolutely delicious! Never made anything with halloumi cheese and it’s actually so easy! I will definitely do it on repeat. Thank you, Kate!
You’re welcome, Olga!
So flavorful! This is the first vegetarian recipe that my husband has truly loved.
Great to hear, Laura! I appreciate your review.
This is a great recipe, so much more than the sum of its parts! It’s in regular rotation in my house, we love it with some garlic aioli on the side
I cooked this for supper this evening. We really enjoyed it and I will definitely cook it again! Comes together pretty quickly for a great after work dinner
Thank you for sharing, Catherine!
Loved this! The veggies were amazing. I will try it again and maybe add mushrooms on a different sheet! It was not complicated at all.
Delicious! Made as written. Flavorful and easy. My meat eating husband loved it!
That’s great, Jo!
Delicious! However, I felt like it lacked a sauce or dressing so I made your cilantro lime dressing and added it on top
Was perfect!
That’s great to hear, Aviva!
this recipe is amazing I even make with company I just chop the onions and peppers earlier and season them. It taste like a wonderful restaurant meal. so colorful I served it with the recipe pineapple salsa and chips. I will give it 10 stars
Thank you, Kim! I’m glad you loved it.
Is it possible to serve this cold or room temperature
I prefer it right away. I haven’t tried it cold. Let me know what you think!
So good! Even my meat loving husband raved about it!
That’s great, Lisa!
Totally printing this out for our recipe box. This is one of those recipes that’s so good, I don’t think I’ll ever do it with meat again
Delicious recipe!
My family loved this. I had never made halloumi cheese before and it came out amazing. I probably used a few extra spices because I didn’t measure carefully. And topped it with sliced avocado. Very filling and yummy. Can definitely see it working with tofu for vegans.
This is so stunning, it’s my favourite dinner. I can’t stop myself groaning out loud with pleasure when I’m eating it
I live in a small town and can’t get halloumi cheese. What alternate cheese would you recommend?
I couldn’t find the halloumi cheese in my small town so I substituted paneer cheese. It worked great. I don’t know the taste of halloumi so I can’t say how different it was. I’ll definitely make it again!
We eat halloumi (or queso para frier) now and then. I have never roasted it – what a game changer and no turning back. Amazing recipe!!!
Saved time on this recipe and used precut frozen veggies. Will add it to my rotation.
Thank you for this recipe and the easy to follow, detailed instructions.
The meal was delicious and filling! Switching from meat meals to more vegetarian and this was absolutely fabulous. It’s also colorful and beautifully plated.
So, so, so good! I served with a chipotle sour cream and fried the halloumi. Otherwise, followed everything to a tee – so delicious. Thanks for another great recipe Kate!
I made this for lunch today, it was delicious!
I will definitely make this again!
Thank you!