Mediterranean pasta salad with golden halloumi

Ingredients

• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced into small cubes

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 250g dry short pasta (I used large spirals)

• 1 large Lebanese cucumber, chopped

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

• ¼ cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped

• 4 spring onions, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

• 200g halloumi cheese, cut into 1.5cm dice

• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

• juice of ½ lemon

• sea salt and cracked black pepper

HERB DRESSING

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

• ½ cup basil leaves, finely chopped

• ¼ cup dill, finely chopped (optional)

Method

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional). Prepare a baking tray by lining it with baking paper. Place the sweet potato cubes in a bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Mix them with your hands to coat, place them on the prepared tray and roast for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

2. Step 2

   Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Remove, rinse in cold water and set aside.

3. Step 3

   For the herb dressing, combine the ingredients in a small bowl or lidded jar. Mix well and season to taste.

4. Step 4

   Add the cooked pasta, sweet potato, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, spring onion and pine nuts to a large bowl. Drizzle with half of the dressing and toss to coat.

5. Step 5

   Place a medium frying pan over medium-high heat and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced halloumi and pan-fry until caramelised and golden all over, 3-4 minutes. In the final minute of cooking, add the maple syrup and toss through. Season with pepper and drizzle over the lemon juice.

6. Step 6

   Add the halloumi pieces to the salad and toss through. Drizzle more of the dressing over just before serving.