Make-ahead

Warm Roasted Pepper & Fried Halloumi Salad

~ SL ~ 1 Comment

This flavourful salad has an amazing texture, with the soft roasted peppers and the squeaky fried halloumi. The Honey Chimichurri dressing is tangy, herby and sweet.

Is it a salad or a side dish?

This Warm Roasted Pepper & Fried Halloumi Salad can be both! You can serve this both at room temperature or hot. Drizzle on the chimichurri dressing just before serving it, then top it with crunchy pumpkin seeds. You can even skewer the peppers and halloumi (cube it for this), drizzle them with oil, salt & pepper, then grill them for an appetizer-style kabob.

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Roasting the peppers

Use only sweet bell peppers for this dish. Any combination of red, orange and yellow bell peppers will do. You can also use the mini bell peppers if you wish. Cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds, then slice each half in 4 wedge-type slices. Place them on a parchment covered baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt & pepper and roast at 425F for 25 minutes. Roasting at a high temperature gives you a nice char which adds tons of flavour to this salad. No need to peel the peppers once they have been roasted. Simply arrange them on a plate or in a bowl with the halloumi, dress and top with the pumpkin seeds.

Meal prep tip: Roast extra peppers and use in another meal, like this Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup or add them to a grain bowl for lunch.

Cooking the halloumi

Halloumi is a type of cheese that doesn’t melt like other cheeses. Pan-frying it at medium-high heat caramelizes it and gives it a nice crispy texture. Watch it closely so that it doesn’t burn. I like to slice it in 1/4 inch slices, so that they are quite crispy. Slicing the halloumi a little bit thicker will give it a crust on the outside and a squeak on the inside. I like to use the PC Herb and Garlic Flavored Halloumi, but you can certainly use an unflavored brand as well.

Making the chimichurri dressing

This chimichurri recipe makes a good amount of sauce. You only need 1/4 cup for this dressing, but you can also thin it out with vinegar and olive oil and use it as a dressing for a grain bowl or pasta salad. I also love to use is in chicken fajitas or to drizzle over sheet pan meals. Chimichurri is also a great marinade for beef, pork, chicken or seafood and you can also use it to top almost any grilled protein.

Liquid honey is the key to this dressing. If you find that the honey has solidified, place your jar in some hot water to let it melt slowly or melt a few tablespoons in the microwave before combining it with the chimichurri.

How to meal prep warm roasted red pepper and fried halloumi salad

This recipe is meal prep friendly if you want to make it ahead of time. You can make all the components ahead of time and simply assemble the roasted pepper salad before serving. Roast the peppers, make the chimichurri dressing and fry the halloumi. Fried halloumi surprisingly keeps it’s crisp texture when made ahead of time.

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Warm Roasted Pepper & Fried Halloumi Salad Recipe

This flavourful salad has an amazing texture, with the soft roasted peppers and the squeaky fried halloumi. The Honey Chimichurri dressing is tangy, herby and sweet.

Course Salad, Side Dish
Keyword chimichurri, halloumi, honey, pumpkin seeds, roasted pepper
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 4 sweet bell peppers cut in 8
  • 1 pkg. PC Herb & Garlic Halloumi cut in 7-8 slices, can use unflavored halloumi
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil for roasting and frying
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/3 cup chimichurri see recipe linked in this post
  • 2 Tbsp liquid honey
  • 1/3 cup salted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F.

  2. Slice peppers in 8.

  3. Toss peppers in 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt & pepper to taste.

  4. Spread out peppers on parchment covered baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

  5. Prepare the chimichurri according to recipe instructions.

  6. Combine 1/3 cup of the chimichurri with 2 Tbsp liquid honey and set aside. Use remaining chimichurri in other recipes or freeze it for future use.

  7. Slice the halloumi in 7-8 slices.

  8. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the halloumi sliced approximately 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Watch them closely so they don't burn.

  9. Arrange roasted peppers and halloumi in a serving dish.

  10. Drizzle with the chimichurri dressing and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds.

Recipe Notes

If you’re prepping the components of this dish ahead of time, arrange the peppers and halloumi in an oven-safe dish and reheat them in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes before adding the dressing and pumpkin seeds. 

Sheet Pan Gnocchi

~ SL

Sheet Pan Gnocchi is a super simple and versatile recipe you can make hands-free on a busy weeknight.

Gnocchi is rested on a bed of veggies, making it soft and chewy, yet toasted, giving it a wonderful texture.

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Choosing Vegetables for the Sheet Pan Gnocchi

The vegetables I chose to include in this recipe are easy to chop quickly and have varying textures. Mushrooms can be halved, while red peppers are sliced in 8ths and eggplant is chopped into 1-inch chunks. Keeping the skin on the eggplant allows the chunks to hold up while roasting. You can use any vegetables you prefer. Broccoli, cauliflower, butternut squash and grape tomatoes are also excellent options.

Meal Prep Tips

All of the veggies for this recipe can be prepped a day or two before you need them. Chopped vegetables will last a lot longer when stored separately from other veggies, so if you’re planning on prepping them more than a day ahead of time, store them in separate containers or bags. Additionally, to prevent the peppers from getting slimy, place a folded paper towel in the bottom of the container before storing them. For a complete list of how to prep and store vegetables, see pages 43 and 44 of your Ultimate Guide.

Sheet Pan Secrets

Sheet Pan Meals are flexible. Depending on the texture you want for your vegetables, you can choose to spread the ingredients out over one or two sheet pans. Crowding makes the vegetables soft and steamy, whereas spreading them out over two pans lets them crisp up.

For this recipe, I like to use one pan so that the steam created by the vegetables softens the gnocchi. Spreading the gnocchi out on top of the vegetables, allows the gnocchi to both steam on the bottom, and crisp up on the top.

Simple Seasonings

For this Sheet Pan Gnocchi recipe, all the ingredients are seasoned simply with olive oil, Italian Seasoning and salt and pepper. The flavor boost comes once it has been cooked, with a drizzle of three-herb pesto and balsamic reduction, like Nonna Pia’s. You can of course use store-bought pesto if you want.

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Sheet Pan Gnocchi

Vegetables and Gnocchi are roasted together on one pan for a quick and easy dinner

Course Main Course, pasta
Cuisine Italian
Keyword balsamic reduction, bell peppers, eggplant, gnocchi, mushrooms, pesto, roasted red pepper, roasted vegetables, sheet pan, sheet pan dinner, sheet pan meal, yellow pepper
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 eggplant
  • 2 bell peppers
  • 1 454g package cremini mushrooms Can use white button mushrooms
  • 1 package gnocchi Find it in the dry pasta section
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 4 tbsp pesto homemade or store-bought
  • 2 tbsp balsamic reduction
  • parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

  2. Chop eggplant in 1-inch pieces, halve mushrooms and cut the bell peppers in 8ths.

  3. Spread out the vegetables on a parchment covered sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

  4. Top vegetables with gnocchi (uncooked). Drizzle again with olive oil.

  5. Bake at 425 F for 25 minutes.

  6. Top cooked gnocchi and vegetables with a dollop of pesto and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

  7. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Recipe Notes

You can swap out the vegetables for any vegetable you like. 

Serving suggestions for Sheet Pan Gnocchi

Serve this meal with Easy Weeknight Foccacia, cheesy breadsticks or a side salad. This makes a delicious lunch when reheated the next day.

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

~ SL ~ 1 Comment

Breakfast burritos are an easy meal to prep and freeze for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I like to make these assembly-line style to save time. Use your favorite fillings to customize them to your taste and follow the same process to make burritos for lunch or dinner.

A person holding a cooked breakfast burritos with the filling showing.

Breakfast burrito basics

You can use almost any vegetable or protein in your breakfast burritos. You will absolutely need:

  • large flour tortillas
  • eggs
  • seasonings
  • protein and veggies
  • cheese

How much do I need of each ingredient?

The guideline I typically use is 2 eggs for each large tortilla. The rest of the ingredients, you can adjust according to how big you want your burritos to be. This recipe is extremely flexible. If you don’t have quite enough eggs, add more protein and veggies to compensate for that.

Seasoning the eggs

Seasoning the eggs is an important step to adding flavor to your breakfast burritos. I like to use Epicure dip mixes, like French Onion, CCB or Garden Vegetable to add flavor. Onion powder or flakes and garlic powder are also great additions to use. If you’re using dip mixes, you’ll want to scramble the eggs and let the seasoning rehydrate in the eggs before cooking.

Prepping the toppings

You want to cook the toppings, before adding the eggs. This allows the vegetables to release their water, preventing a soggy breakfast burrito. Here are some combinations I like:

  • Broccoli and cheese
  • Sausage & peppers
  • Mushroom, peppers and real bacon bits

I also like to add pickled banana peppers to all of these combinations for an extra kick. Basically, any topping you would put in an omelet would work well in a breakfast burrito.

Assembling the breakfast burritos

Using an assembly line to prep these breakfast burritos is quick and helps ensure all your burritos are the same size. Spread out all the tortillas on the counter. You don’t need to warm them, unless your tortillas are really dry. The heat from the filling will warm them slightly, making them easier to roll.

Start by sprinkling a small layer of shredded cheese on the tortilla. You will do this again on top of the filling. Adding the cheese on the top and bottom helps seal the tortillas while they bake and holds everything in.

Then add a large scoop of filling to each tortilla. You are aiming for about one cup of filling/burrito.

Once you have distributed the filling to all of the tortillas, ensure they are approximately all the same size and make any adjustments if necessary.

Next, add the pickled banana peppers if using, then top with another layer of cheese.

Tortillas spread out on a table with piles of filling on each one.

Folding the breakfast burritos

When you are folding, move the filling to the middle third of the tortilla. Fold in the sides first, then, fold up the bottom and roll the rest.

A hand folding in both sides of a tortilla over the filling.
A person rolling up a tortilla from the bottom, with the sides folded in.

Freezing the burritos

Once you have rolled all of the burritos, line them up on a parchment covered baking sheet, seam side down, and freeze them before storing in a freezer bag. Alternatively, you can wrap them individually in plastic wrap or foil, then place them in a freezer bag, if you don’t have the freezer space to freeze them on a baking sheet first. Use this same process to roll up leftover burrito bowl fillings to have for a quick lunch or dinner.

Rolled burritos on a baking sheet.

Reheating the burritos

You can reheat these burritos a few ways, depending on how much time you have. I like to defrost them slightly in the microwave for about four minutes, before either broiling on each side until browned, or baking for approximately 20 minutes. If you don’t defrost them in the microwave, you can simply bake them for about an hour. You can also place foil wrapped burritos on a campfire or BBQ if you are taking them camping. Check out my tips for packing for camping here.

Serving your breakfast burritos

The burritos will be hot when you take them out of the oven, so let them rest for 5-10 minutes before digging in. Add your favorite hot sauce, guacamole or salsa while you eat or try my favorite, chili crisp as a spicy topping.

If you still have some toppings left after making your burritos, try this breakfast pizza for another easy breakfast option.

two breakfast pizzas side by side
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Freezer Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast burritos are an easy meal to prep and freeze for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Make these assembly-line style to save time and use your favorite fillings to customize them to your liking.

Course Breakfast
Keyword breakfast, burrito, double-batch, eggs
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 10 burritos

Ingredients

  • 10 large flour tortillas
  • 20 eggs
  • 2 tbsp seasonings of your choice Epicure dip mixes, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, onion flakes
  • 5 cups filling peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, bacon bits, ham, sausage
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese Use 1/4 cup per burrito. 2 Tbsp. on the bottom, 2 Tbsp. on top of the filling.
  • pickled banana peppers (optional)
  • salsa, hot sauce, guacamole, chili crisp (optional)

Instructions

  1. Chop vegetables and protein you will use for the filling. If using sausage, remove from casing before cooking.

  2. Scramble and season the eggs.

  3. Cook the protein and vegetables until the water has evaporated.

  4. Add the eggs and continue stirring until cooked through and the filling is dry.

  5. Lay out the tortillas and add 2 Tbsp. shredded cheese to each one.

  6. Top each tortilla with approximately 1 cup of filling. Once you have topped all the tortillas, adjust to ensure they are roughly all the same size.

  7. Top with pickled banana peppers if using.

  8. Add 2 Tbsp shredded cheese to the top.

  9. Place the filling on the bottom third of the tortilla. Fold in the sides, then roll from the bottom.

  10. Place seam-side down on a parchment covered baking sheet and freeze.

  11. Store frozen burritos in a freezer bag.

Reheating burritos from frozen (long and lazy method)

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the burritos in the oven while it is preheating and continue baking for approximately one hour, or until burritos are browned.

Reheating burritos from frozen (standard method)

  1. Place burritos in the microwave for 4 minutes.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the burritos in the oven while it is preheating and continue baking for approximately twently minutes, or until burritos are browned.

Reheating burritos from frozen (quick method)

  1. Place burritos in the microwave for 4 minutes.

  2. Broil burritos for about 5 minutes on each side, or until browned.

Recipe Notes

The filling recipe is flexible! If you don’t have 20 eggs, add more protein and veggies to compensate for that and vice versa.