These bagel veggie stacks are loaded up with pesto, rocket, mushrooms and haloumi. A delicious vegetarian meal that looks impressive enough to serve to guests!
This is definitely my kind of lunch or dinner. The Mediterranean-style flavours are so good, and I find anything with haloumi very hard to resist!
You could easily turn these stacks into a vegetarian burger. Just add a dollop of aioli and sandwich together with a brioche burger bun. If it’s meat you’re after, throw in some pan fried chorizo (so good!).
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These bagel veggie stacks are loaded up with pesto, rocket, mushrooms and haloumi. A delicious vegetarian meal that looks impressive enough to serve to guests!
PREPARE INGREDIENTS
Cut zucchini vertically into thin, wide strips. Brush with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper.
Gently wipe mushrooms clean with a paper towel or clean cloth. Slice haloumi into strips. Thinly slice red onion and crush garlic. Add a small splash of water to the pesto if it is quite thick, to make it more of a drizzling consistency.
COOK INGREDIENTS
Heat a large frying pan on medium-high. Melt butter in pan, then add garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes each side, until tender. Reduce heat to very low to keep warm.
While mushrooms cook, heat another large frying pan or chargrill pan on medium-high. Add zucchini and cook for 1-2 minutes each side, until browned. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer into the pan with the cooked mushrooms to keep warm.
Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to empty pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook haloumi for 1-2 minutes each side, until golden. Remove from heat.
Toast bagels.
ASSEMBLE STACKS
Place one bagel half on each of 4 serving plates. Drizzle with half the pesto, then add half the rocket, all of the red onion, mushrooms, zucchini and haloumi. Drizzle with remaining pesto and top with the rest of the rocket. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add another bagel half on top, if using (or just use half a bagel for a lower carb meal).
WINE MATCH: A Pinot Gris or Riesling.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Make sure pesto is gluten-free. Use gluten-free bagels or replace with gluten-free burger buns or muffin splits.
INGREDIENT SWAPS / NOTES: If you don’t like mushrooms, you can replace with capsicum (cook in the same way) or fresh sliced tomatoes. Mushrooms are a little more filling though. You can use baby spinach instead of rocket.
STORING AND REHEATING: Store zucchini, mushrooms and haloumi together and reheat in the microwave or frying pan. Keep other ingredients separate. Toast bagels just before assembling.