Loaded twice baked potatoes are the ultimate side dish recipe. These potatoes are loaded with creamy, cheesy, bacon-y goodness that is stuffed in a potato skin.
If you liked my recipe for Loaded Mashed potatoes then you will really enjoy this recipe for twice baked potatoes. This recipe is one of our favorites to have with a Stuffed Pork Loin.
Find out how easy these twice-baked potatoes are to make.
What Are The Best Potatoes To Use
I feel the best potato to use for baked potatoes as well as twice baked-potatoes are russets. They are a very hardy potato.
The skin of a russet potato is thick and dry. While the insides will become light and fluffy, making for the perfect baked potato inside and out.
A little salt and pepper to the potato skin will help give a little extra flavor.
How To Make Twice Baked Potatoes
First, you will need baked potatoes. To help save time in making this recipe I like to make my baked potatoes in the Instant Pot. Head over to my recipe for Instant Pot Baked Potatoes to see how easy they are to make.
Once the potatoes are cooled just enough to handle I cut them in half. You don’t want the potatoes to be completely cold or the potato will become gummy when you whip or mash them.
Since I was making this recipe for our family of five I made three potatoes. With the potatoes cut in half, it gave me six to work with. By the end of dinner, there wasn’t any left.
With the potatoes cut in half, I take a spoon and carefully scoop out the inside. Leaving enough of the potato to keep the skin from collapsing. The inside of the potato that is being scooped out I place in a mixing bowl.
Now that the potatoes are scooped out you can salt and pepper the shell of the potato to taste.
In the bowl that you have the scooped out potato in, add milk, butter, salt, and pepper. I mashed these together with a fork but you can use a hand mixer if you want a whipped inside.
The reason I used a fork is I didn’t want the potato to become too mushy, I wanted more of a chunkiness to the insides.
With those ingredients mashed together stir in the green onion, bacon and Colby Jack cheese. Spoon the potato mixture into the shells. Top with a little more Colby Jack cheese.
What Temperature And How Long Do I Bake Twice Baked Potatoes For?
I like to preheat my oven to 350℉ before I start to do any of the prepping of the potato. That way it gives the oven time to heat up so when I place them in they will start to cook.
A cold oven will take longer to cook things.
The potatoes only need 20 minutes to bake in the 350℉ oven. You just need the insides to heat up and the cheese to get all melty.
Tips
Some times I have for this recipe are:
- Use my recipe for Instant Pot Baked Potatoes for the first bake of the potatoes. This will help cut time.
- Prep as much of the ingredients as you can before you start. The bacon needs to be cooked, I have a recipe for Oven Baked Bacon that is perfect to use in this recipe.
- Slice the green onions rather thin, you don’t want to bit into a big chunk of green onion. Once I sliced the green onions I will take the knife back over them and mince them a bit.
- For a more fluffier inside I recommend using a fork to mash the potato up with.
- Line a cookie sheet with foil in case the cheese melts over the sides of the potato. You know me always looking for easy cleanup.
Sharing one creative recipe at a time~Jen
Other My Creative Manner Recipes you may enjoy are:
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Oven-Baked Bacon
- Oven Roasted Butternut Squash
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Loaded twice baked potatoes are the ultimate side dish recipe. Creamy, cheesy, bacon-y, goodness all loaded in a potato skin.
Ingredients
- 3 Large Potatoes Cooked~ See Notes for how to bake potatoes
- 1/4 Cup Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/4 Cup Green Onion Finely chopped
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
- 2 Slices Bacon Cooked and chopped~ See notes to see how to cook the bacon.
- Black Pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Preheat Oven to 350℉
With potatoes that have been baked and are cool enough to handle slice them in half.
Place half potatoes onto a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Using a spoon scoop out the inside of the potato and place the insides into a mixing bowl. Leave enough of the potato attached to the skin so the shell of the potato doesn't collapse.
Salt and pepper to taste the inside of the potato.
Into the mixing bowl that has the potato insides add milk, butter, black pepper, and salt. Mash together using a fork.
Chop the bacon and green onion into finer bite-size pieces.
Gently stir the green onion, bacon, and 1/4 cup of the Colby jack cheese into the mashed potatoes.
Spoon mixture into the shells of the potato and top with remaining Colby Jack cheese.
With the prepared potatoes on a foil-lined cookie sheet place into the 350℉ preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
The fastest way to bake the potatoes is by following my recipe for Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
The eastiest way to make bacon in by following my recipe for Oven Baked Bacon.
I love these in restaurants and don’t know why I haven’t tried them at home yet, it doesn’t look hard!
Oh yes, I feel they are super easy to make. Thank you for stopping by My Creative Manner