Aubergine, Halloumi & Harissa Skillet Bake Recipe
A delicious and hearty aubergine, halloumi, and harissa skillet bake that combines tender roasted aubergine rounds with spicy harissa tomato sauce and salty halloumi cheese. Perfect for a satisfying vegetarian meal served alongside flatbreads, rice, or couscous.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Sauce
- 2–4 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle for finishing
- 1 large aubergine, sliced into rounds about ½ cm thick
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of dried mint
Cheese
- 225g block halloumi, sliced into 8–9 pieces
Serving Suggestions
- Flatbreads, rice or couscous, to serve
Instructions
- 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). Cook each side for 2-3 minutes until just golden and softened, adding another 1 tbsp olive oil between batches if the pan dries out. Transfer the cooked aubergine to a plate.
- Prepare Sauce: If the pan is dry, add another 1 tbsp olive oil and fry the crushed garlic cloves until sizzling but not browned. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, harissa paste, caster sugar, and a pinch of salt. Let the mixture bubble gently for about a minute while squashing the tomatoes slightly. Then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Arrange Ingredients: Halve each piece of halloumi (don’t worry if they fall apart). Layer the aubergine and halloumi slices in overlapping concentric circles on top of the tomato-harissa mixture in the skillet, ensuring there are one or two pieces of halloumi between each aubergine slice. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle the dried mint evenly over the top.
- Bake: Cover the skillet with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan)/gas mark 4 for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the halloumi starts to brown.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve the skillet bake hot with warm flatbreads, rice, or couscous.
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of harissa paste depending on your preferred spice level.
- Using an ovenproof skillet makes it easier to cook and bake in the same pan, but if you don’t have one, use a frying pan for cooking and transfer to a baking dish.
- To keep the aubergine from absorbing too much oil, avoid overcrowding the pan and cook in batches.
- Leftover skillet bake tastes great reheated and can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Keywords: aubergine recipe, halloumi bake, harissa skillet, vegetarian Mediterranean dish, baked halloumi recipe
