Twice Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheese

Baked potatoes loaded with toppings are the ultimate comfort food.

TWICE baked potatoes are like double the decadence! They are also super easy to make. First you just bake some potatoes. Then you scrape out the insides, add a ton of yummy ingredients and mix it all together. Then you fill the scraped out potato shells with the new potato mixture, top with cheese, and bake again – until the cheese forms a wonderful golden crust on top.

Usually these potatoes are loaded with butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon — making it delicious but completely a guilty pleasure.

But this recipe is a wonderful lightened up version of the traditional twice baked potato. With a few secret swaps, your family won’t know the difference between this version and the “traditional” version!

These twice baked potatoes are super filling, kid-friendly, vegetarian, gluten-free, and are perfect for an entree that the whole family will love.

The Ingredients

Note: I found this recipe on SkinnyTaste.com and adapted it slightly

• (18 oz) 4 medium russet potatoes
• salt and pepper, to taste (this is critical!! I added tons of pepper to our potatoes )
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets (about 2 heads of broccoli)
• 2 cups chopped cauliflower (about 1 large head of cauliflower)
• 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1 tbsp minced chives or green onions (optional)
• 1 cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese (or any low fat cheese blend you like)

The Directions

Step 1: Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork. Place in the microwave and use your baked potato setting until the potatoes are cooked through, turning half way. (Or you can bake 1 hour in your oven at 425° F)

Step 2: While the potatoes are baking, chop all of your veggies (chives, broccoli, cauliflower, etc)

Step 3: In a medium saucepan, combine cauliflower and broccoli with a little salted water and cook, covered for about 3 minutes. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside, continue cooking the cauliflower until soft, about 5 more minutes. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Step 5: Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh out into the large bowl with the cauliflower, leaving a ¼” shell. Place the potato shells on a baking sheet.

Step 6: Mash the flesh with a potato masher or puree with a hand blender along with the cauliflower. Add the buttermilk and salt, mash until smooth. Fold in half of the shredded cheddar (and chives if desired).

Step 7: Spoon the potato/cauliflower mixture back into the shells. Top with the cooked broccoli and remaining cheese on top.

Step 8: Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted.

And that is it! Dinner is served.

The best thing about this recipe is that it’s super flexible. While there are precise measurements, you don’t have to adhere exactly to the recipe in order to make it work. If you want more cauliflower to potato ratio, go ahead! If you want to use another veggie instead of broccoli for the topping – add away. The important thing is that you love it once it’s ready to eat

Print Twice Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheese

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Serving Size: 1/2 of a loaded potato

Calories per serving: 146.5

Fat per serving: 3.5g

Nutritional Info Per Serving: 146.5 Calories, 3.5g Fat, 152.5mg Sodium (without any added salt) 23g Carbs, 2.5g Fiber, 1.5g Sugar, 8g Protein

Ingredients

• (18 oz) 4 medium russet potatoes
• salt and pepper, to taste (this is critical!! I added tons of pepper to our potatoes :) )
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets (about 2 heads of broccoli)
• 2 cups chopped cauliflower (about 1 large head of cauliflower)
• 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1 tbsp minced chives or green onions (optional)
• 1 cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese (or any low fat cheese blend you like)

Directions

1. Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork. Place in the microwave and use your baked potato setting until the potatoes are cooked through, turning half way. (Or you can bake 1 hour in your oven at 425° F)
2. While the potatoes are baking, chop all of your veggies (chives, broccoli, cauliflower, etc)
3. In a medium saucepan, combine cauliflower and broccoli with a little salted water and cook, covered for about 3 minutes. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside, continue cooking the cauliflower until soft, about 5 more minutes. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
5. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop the flesh out into the large bowl with the cauliflower, leaving a ¼" shell. Place the potato shells on a baking sheet.
6. Mash the flesh with a potato masher or puree with a hand blender along with the cauliflower. Add the buttermilk and salt, mash until smooth. Fold in half of the shredded cheddar (and chives if desired).
7. Spoon the potato/cauliflower mixture back into the shells. Top with the cooked broccoli and remaining cheese on top.
8. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Notes

From SkinnyTaste.com

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://pickyeaterblog.com/twice-baked-potatoes-with-broccoli-and-cheese/Recipe by: The Picky Eater, pickyeaterblog.com

Anjali Shah