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Hearty Main-Course Salads
Recipe
35 min

Hearty Green Salad with Chickpeas, Pickled Cauliflower, and Seared Halloumi

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Hearty Green Salad with Chickpeas, Pickled Cauliflower, and Seared Halloumi
Author: Andrea Geary

Recipe By Andrea Geary

Published on August 27, 2026

A protein-and-vegetable-packed bed of greens is the kind of vibrant, low-effort meal that anyone can appreciate on a scorching summer evening.

Time

35 min

Yield

Serves 2

Why This Recipe Works

A protein-and-vegetable-packed green salad is the perfect thing to make when it's too hot to do any real cooking. For a vegetarian version, we started by making quick pickled cauliflower florets and used the brine as the acid base for the dressing. We turned part of the brine into a vinaigrette to dress the greens (green leaf lettuce and radicchio), and we mixed the rest into a thicker, creamier dressing with Greek yogurt and tahini to coat the other components. In addition to pickled cauliflower, we topped the greens with pan-seared slabs of briny halloumi, canned chickpeas, and juicy grapes.

Ingredients

¼ cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
2 cups (1-inch) cauliflower florets
½ teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 ounces halloumi cheese, cut into 4 slices
½ small head green leaf lettuce (4 ounces), torn into bite-size pieces
½ small head radicchio (3 ounces), cored and sliced thin
⅔ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon ground dried Aleppo pepper
6 ounces seedless red grapes, halved (1 cup)

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Whisk vinegar, honey, and ¾ teaspoon salt together in medium bowl. Add cauliflower and stir to coat. Microwave until simmering, 1½ to 2 minutes. Stir, then cover and let sit, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to small plate, leaving liquid in bowl.
    Recipe Tip
    If Aleppo pepper is unavailable, substitute 3/8 teaspoon of paprika and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. This recipe can easily be doubled.
  2. Heat 1⁄2 teaspoon oil in 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add halloumi and cook until brown on both sides, 60 to 90 seconds per side. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
  3. Transfer 2 tablespoons pickling liquid to large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and whisk to combine. Add lettuce and radicchio, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine. Distribute greens evenly between 2 shallow serving bowls. Place chickpeas in now-empty bowl.
  4. Add yogurt, tahini, garlic, Aleppo pepper, and remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt to remaining pickling liquid and whisk until combined. Add 1⁄4 cup yogurt mixture to chickpeas and toss to combine. Arrange cauliflower, halloumi, and grapes in piles atop greens. Drizzle remaining yogurt mixture over cauliflower, grapes, and halloumi in each bowl. Divide chickpea mixture evenly between bowls and serve.
    Recipe Tip
    Whole-milk, 2 percent, and 0 percent Greek yogurt will all work here.

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Hearty Green Salad with Chickpeas, Pickled Cauliflower, and Seared Halloumi

Recipe By Andrea Geary

Published on August 27, 2026

Time

35 min

Yield

Serves 2

Hearty Green Salad with Chickpeas, Pickled Cauliflower, and Seared Halloumi

Ingredients

¼ cup cider vinegar2 teaspoons honey1 teaspoon table salt, divided2 cups (1-inch) cauliflower florets½ teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided4 ounces halloumi cheese, cut into 4 slices½ small head green leaf lettuce (4 ounces), torn into bite-size pieces½ small head radicchio (3 ounces), cored and sliced thin⅔ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt2 tablespoons tahini1 small garlic clove, minced½ teaspoon ground dried Aleppo pepper6 ounces seedless red grapes, halved (1 cup)

Instructions

  1. Whisk vinegar, honey, and ¾ teaspoon salt together in medium bowl. Add cauliflower and stir to coat. Microwave until simmering, 1½ to 2 minutes. Stir, then cover and let sit, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to small plate, leaving liquid in bowl.
    Recipe Tip
    If Aleppo pepper is unavailable, substitute 3/8 teaspoon of paprika and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. This recipe can easily be doubled.
  2. Heat 1⁄2 teaspoon oil in 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add halloumi and cook until brown on both sides, 60 to 90 seconds per side. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
  3. Transfer 2 tablespoons pickling liquid to large bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and whisk to combine. Add lettuce and radicchio, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine. Distribute greens evenly between 2 shallow serving bowls. Place chickpeas in now-empty bowl.
  4. Add yogurt, tahini, garlic, Aleppo pepper, and remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt to remaining pickling liquid and whisk until combined. Add 1⁄4 cup yogurt mixture to chickpeas and toss to combine. Arrange cauliflower, halloumi, and grapes in piles atop greens. Drizzle remaining yogurt mixture over cauliflower, grapes, and halloumi in each bowl. Divide chickpea mixture evenly between bowls and serve.
    Recipe Tip
    Whole-milk, 2 percent, and 0 percent Greek yogurt will all work here.
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