Chimichurri Roasted Vegetable Bowl with Grilled Cheese

Roasted Vegetable Bowl

This Roasted Vegetable Bowl recipe came from one of my recent meal delivery kits. Hello Fresh knocked it out of the park with this healthy vegetarian dinner and I have since become obsessed. It was simply too good not to share with you guys with my own tweak!

Sweet potatoes and red onions are roasted on a sheet pan with a simple drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. While the root vegetables roast, whip up a quick chimichurri sauce to bring a bright freshness to the dish. It complements the rich grilled Halloumi cheese spectacularly!

The finishing touch to it all is the bright flavors that come from cherry tomatoes and creamy avocados. This roasted vegetable bowl is full of so many amazing vegetables, packed with great nutrients. It’s almost hard to believe this dish is good for you!

While no one is going to pretend that the grilled Haloumi cheese is healthy, it is all about balance. If you can eat a big bowl of vegetables topped with a little grilled cheese, I call that a win for a healthy dinner!

Grilled Halloumi Cheese

If you are like me, when you hear grilled cheese, you think of a grilled cheese sandwich. That isn’t what we are talking about here though. This is a special kind of cheese, called Halloumi, that can be grilled directly on a hot pan. It creates a fantastic caramelized crunchy outside while melting the inside into creamy goodness.

If you haven’t tried grilling Halloumi cheese yet, I highly recommend it! Just be warned that it’s so good you may be tempted to eat a slab of the hot grilled cheese all on it’s own.

• grilled cheese sandwich

Healthy Vegetarian Dinner Recipe

It could be considered overkill to serve the rich and fatty grilling cheese with a nice steak, but I won’t judge you if you add some to the roasted vegetable bowl for the meat lover in your life.

The fact of the matter is that it doesn’t need it one single bit though. The flavors of the fresh vegetables, roasted root vegetables and light chimichurri sauce create absolute perfection. It is also a filling healthy vegetarian dinner recipe as well!

Much like these Black Bean & Squash Vegetarian Enchiladas, a good vegetarian recipe with lots of hearty vegetables can be very hearty.

• Black Bean & Squash Vegetarian Enchiladas

What is Chimichurri Sauce?

Traditional chimichurri ingredients typically include parsley, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, oregano and vinegar. In this twist on the recipe we swapped out fresh lemon juice for vinegar, cumin for oregano and cilantro for parsley.

The light lemon juice is a better balance with the delicate flavors of the vegetables and cheese. Chimichurri sauce is very often served over meat, like a nice grilled steak. Vinegar stands up to meat nicely, but in this instance lemon juice was the best choice.

I’m just not a huge fan or oregano personally. It’s not that I dislike it, but it isn’t the first spice I reach for. I have always loved the smokey flavor that cumin lends to this roasted vegetable bowl so I opted for that instead.

If you are one of those people who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, you can absolutely use parsley instead. It will offer the same freshness and appeal to more people. I just personally love cilantro.

More healthy vegetarian dinner recipes!

Black bean burgers with pineapple salsa

Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili

• Baked Honey Feta Squash & Brown Rice Salad
• Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese Berry Salad
• Pressure Cooker Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
• Black Bean & Squash Vegetarian Enchiladas

Notes

Do not cook the cheese well in advance of the vegetables being ready. The grilling cheese is best enjoyed right from the pan for the optimal texture.

Serving: 1 g | Calories: 480 kcal | Carbohydrates: 35 g | Protein: 19 g | Fat: 31 g | Saturated Fat: 11 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18 g | Cholesterol: 52 mg | Sodium: 521 mg | Fiber: 11 g | Sugar: 10 g