This healthy Middle-Eastern eggplant and halloumi wrap is filled with grilled halloumi, eggplant, lettuce, and a fresh tomato and cucumber salad with garlic sauce. It makes for a quick and delicious vegetarian lunch and BBQ dish!
Prepare the eggplant and halloumi in a grill pan, indoor grill 'press,' or outdoor grill. Using a dry (no oil) grill pan, it should take just 2-4 minutes on each side over medium-high heat.Be careful not to flip over the halloumi too quickly, or it will fall apart. You may need to do this in batched (i.e., the eggplant first, then halloumi, or the other way around). To keep the first batch warm, place on a plate covered with a kitchen towel.
To prepare the wrap, first spread a little garlic sauce on the bottom of the wrap. Then add the lettuce, a layer of eggplant, then halloumi, and finally the tomato-cucumber salad.
Fold in the outside of the wrap and then, optionally, grill the wrap in the same pan/press until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Chop in half and then enjoy!
How To Make Ahead and Store
To make ahead: you can prepare the grilled halloumi, eggplant, and tomato and cucumber salad the night before and store it in separate containers. Then assemble the wrap just before eating (or the morning of the day you plan to eat them).
To store: once prepared, the wrap will go soggy over time as the tomato and cucumber salad released liquid into the wrap. For that reason, the prepared halloumi wrap is best eaten within a day.
Notes
You can optionally salt the eggplant slices to remove some of the excess liquid and some of the bitterness (though bitterness isn't as much of an issue in today's bred eggplant varieties). To salt the eggplant, add the slices to a large kitchen towel-lined baking tray and salt liberally on both sides. Allow it to rest for between 40-60 minutes, then blot with more kitchen towels.
To reduce some of the salt of the halloumi, give the slices a rinse under a cold tap and pat dry before grilling.
You can also enjoy these as eggplant halloumi lettuce wraps for a lower-carb option. Simple omit the wrap and use large lettuce leaves instead (like these Mediterranean Vegetable Lettuce Wraps).