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Broccoli Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes

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These Broccoli Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes are the epitome of comfort food! They are also super easy to make, and can be made ahead of time! A salty, slightly crisp potato skin is filled with creamy luxurious mashed potatoes mixed with fresh broccoli, sharp cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Top with sour cream and sliced green onion for good measure and dinner is done!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 Russet potatoes
  • olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sour cream + more for garnish
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
  • 2 cups raw diced broccoli
  • 8 oz. bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion + more for garnish
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes thoroughly and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Coat potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt all over.
  2. Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool for 20 minutes or until you can handle the potatoes.
  3. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop flesh from the potato and into a large bowl, leaving about a 1/4 inch of potato around the perimeter.
  4. Return empty potatoes to the baking sheet.
  5. Add butter, sour cream, and half and half along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper to the potatoes. Gently mash until mostly smooth and creamy. 
  6. Add 1.5 cups cheddar cheese, broccoli, bacon, green onion, garlic powder, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper to the bowl with potatoes.
  7. Stir until ingredients are well combined. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.
  8. Divide filling evenly between halved potatoes until they are heaping full. 
  9. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese between the potatoes, gently pressing it into the filling so it's secure.
  10. Bake in the 400-degree oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the filling is heated through. 
  11. Garnish with sour cream and sliced green onion and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

If you don't have half and half, you could use heavy cream or milk in its place. Half and half is literally just a mixture of equal parts cream and whole milk, so if you have both of those on hand, you can use a 1/4 cup of each to replace the 1/2 cup of half and half in this recipe.

If you only have heavy cream, I'd recommend adding about 1/3 of a cup. If you only have milk, then use a 1/2 cup and add an extra tablespoon or two of butter. Basically, when you're mixing up the potato filling, you want it to the be the consistency of a very thick mashed potato. If you're making substitutions, just keep that in mind and adjust as needed.

You could even use extra sour cream or Greek yogurt in place of half and half in this recipe. I always recommend using regular or full fat sour cream/yogurt (NOT low fat or fat free).

You can use any type of cheese you like for this twice-baked potato recipe! I love to use an extra sharp cheddar because of the flavor it adds to the dish. However, some of my other favorites include Gruyere, Havarti, Gouda, Swiss or Edam.

To make this dish vegetarian, just omit the bacon! Or try adding a vegetarian bacon substitute like coconut bacon! Also, using a smoked cheddar or smoked Gouda cheese in place of the sharp cheddar will give you that smoky, meaty flavor without the meat!

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/broccoli-cheddar-twice-baked-potatoes/