When you’re at the head of a growing family of hungry mouths and you’re looking for something cheap, cheerful and full of variety, you can’t go past the potato.
Not only are potatoes super cheap and generally available in some form all year around, they’re also a good source of vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin C, fibre and more. All essentially to the growing body.
So now we know potatoes are cheap and healthy, but what we really want to put across is just how simple they can be as a meal idea.
We’re talking about loaded baked potatoes.
Yep, it’s the ultimate simple meal. just a baked potato piled high with all your favourite toppings.
What toppings might they be? Well get some inspiration from us!
Prepping Your Potatoes
If you want loaded baked potatoes you will, of course, need to bake some potatoes. Here’s how to get that done.
- Clean your potatoes well (use potatoes of the same size, so they finish cooking at the same time) and prick them with a fork a few times.
- Arrange in the slow cooker, rub with oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake on LOW for six hours.
Note:
If sweet potatoes are cheaper to buy (and you are a fan of them) – substitute good ole potatoes for them! They take about 20 minutes less to cook than standard potatoes!
The 10 Ideas for Toppings for Loaded Baked Potatoes!
1. Leftover Roast Chicken and Broccoli
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4 Large Potatoes (or Sweet Potatoes)
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200g Cooked Broad Oak Farms Chicken Mince (or any leftover roast chicken you may have)
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200g Cowbelle Cheese (Grated)
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1 tablespoons Beautifully Butterfully Butter
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1/2 broccoli head, cut into pieces and cooked
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Stonemill Salt and Pepper
Once the potatoes have been cooked in the Slow Cooker, allow them to cool slightly. Slice through the potato and remove half the flesh. Add the potato flesh to a bowl and mash with the butter. Season well with the salt and pepper. Mix with the broccoli and 1 cup of leftover roast chicken and pile back on the potato. Top with cheese and grill for five minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Enjoy hot!
2. Good Ol’ Beans And Cheese
When you consider that baked beans are essentially a vegetable covered in sugar, it’s no surprise that kids like them so much. If you want to amp this old favourite up a little, we recommend whacking an egg on top.
3. Meatlovers BBQ
Fry up some diced meats of your choice (we like bacon, chicken and chorizo) with some red onion, then add in some BBQ sauce and allow to warm fully before pouring the mix all over your spuds. Top with cheese or even yoghurt.
4. Seafood Sensation
In a bowl mix together plain canned tuna, mayonnaise and corn kernels. Spoon into your warm spuds, top generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bacon, Cheese, Tomato, Avo
Probably the most Aussie version of the baked spud, this one is a guaranteed favourite for warm summer days. Just mix together the bacon, diced tomato and avocado, with perhaps a hint of lime juice, fill your spuds and top with cheese.
6. Nacho
For a Mexican fiesta mix either mince meat or diced chicken with some black beans, red onion, diced capsicum and a sprinkle of Mexican seasoning in a pan until cook through. Then pile on top of your potatoes and top with cheese or yoghurt.
7. Sour Cream, Chicken and Chives
Without the chicken this topping is perfect for loaded potatoes as a side, but to make it a full meal cook up some diced chicken and pop it into your baked potatoes topped with sour cream, a sprinkle of chives, and a bit of cheese if you like.
8. Veggies And White Sauce
Got leftover veggies or a heap of veg in the fridge? Steam it or warm it up, throw together a simple cheese white sauce, and pile it all on.
9. Hawaiian
The pizza topping favoured by children and adults alike translates just as well onto baked potatoes. Simply mix together some bacon bits, pineapple pieces and tomato sauce or paste in a saucepan until warm, spoon onto your baked potato, and top with cheese.
10. Chilli Con Carne
If you’re low on mince you can stretch a chilli con carne much further by loading it onto baked potatoes. Just make it as usual with mince, red capsicum, onion, tomato paste and kidney beans, top your potatoes with it, and add cheese, sour cream or yoghurt.
11. Leftovers
Almost any solid leftover, from a stew to a pasta meal to a curry, can feed more people when you serve it up with a baked potato. Top stews with sour cream, pasta with cheese, and curry with yoghurt for a warming and delicious meal.
