Creamy, stuffed baked potatoes loaded with cheese and bacon are a showstopping side dish perfect for any meal! Regular baked potatoes are turned into the BEST twice-baked, decedent, delicious potatoes and are easier to make than you think.
I love to turn an easy-to-make weeknight meal into something special by serving these loaded potatoes with Crock Pot Beef Roast and a fresh green salad.
I know it, Y’all know it…everybody knows it – potatoes cooked almost any way is comfort food at its best. Besides that warm and comfortable feeling that potatoes produce, it is that other crazy thing – you can cook them a million different ways!
I stopped counting long ago and just made my own “Top 10 Potato Recipes” list. Number one on that list is stuffed baked potatoes or twice-baked potatoes. I make them with my family’s favorite ingredients like cheese, bacon, and a few other ingredients thrown in. The key to ensuring rich flavor and perfect texture is to be sure that you bake them in the oven or on the grill – no microwave here, friends.
Ingredients For The Best Stuffed Potatoes
- Russet Potatoes – I use either medium or large potatoes.
- Vegetable Oil – olive oil also works for rubbing on the potatoes prior to cooking.
- Butter
- Sour Cream – you can also use Greek yogurt.
- Cheddar Cheese – I like to use sharp cheddar cheese, but you can also use Colby Jack, blue cheese, smoked Gouda, or Pepper Jack cheese.
- Cooked Bacon – you can substitute turkey bacon if you like.
- Onion – grated onion gives a mild, delicious flavor, so don’t skip this ingredient!
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked Pepper
- Green Onion – you can also use chopped chives as a topping.
Scroll Down For Measurements
How Do You Make Stuffed Baked Potatoes?
- Wash the potatoes, drizzle with vegetable oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bake them in the oven for approximately one hour until cooked through when a fork can easily pierce through the potato.
- When the potatoes are easy to handle, cut an oval on the skin and remove. Scoop out the inside of the potato using a spoon and place it in a mixing bowl. Add butter and blend using a potato masher.
- Mix the cheddar cheese, cooked chopped bacon, onion, sour cream, salt and pepper. Add it to the potato mixture, then stuff it into the scooped-out potatoes.
- Bake for 15 minutes, sprinkle with grated cheese, and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
What’s The Best Potato To Use For This Recipe?
My favorite potato for this recipe is russet potatoes. They bake up light and fluffy. You can also use Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes.
How To Store And Save
If you have leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a baking dish or sheet pan.
Can Stuffed Potatoes Be Made Ahead Of Time?
Yep, they sure can! Make the potatoes per the recipe, up to adding the cheese on top and baking. Wrap the potatoes in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days. To serve, remove from the fridge, top with cheese, and bake.
How To Freeze Twice Baked Potatoes
These potatoes freeze beautifully, and it’s great to have them tucked away in the freezer whenever you need them! To freeze, bake, stuff, then wrap each potato in aluminum foil. Place the potatoes in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, remove from the freezer, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then heat in the oven.
What To Serve With Stuffed Baked Potatoes
These stuffed potatoes are perfect as the main event for dinner or as a side dish at just about any meal. Just bake, stuff, and ENJOY!
- Easy Weeknight Dinners – Oven Baked BBQ Chicken, Air Fryer Salmon
- Sunday Supper – Crock Pot Chicken Thighs, Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Holiday Celebrations – Copycat Honey Baked Ham, Crock Pot Roasted Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 6 medium russet potatoes – washed and dried
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- ¾ cup cooked bacon – chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup grated onion
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Drizzle potatoes with canola oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place potatoes on center rack in oven. Bake for 1 hour or until done (insert a knife into potato to check for doneness)
- Take potatoes out of oven and cool on baking rack.
- When potatoes are easy to handle, cut an oval on skin and remove. Scoop out inside of potato using a spoon and place in mixing bowl. Add butter and blend using a potato masher.
- Add 1 ½ cups of cheese, the bacon, sour cream, grated onion, salt and pepper – mixing well. Taste, adjusting seasoning.
- With a small spoon, stuff mixture into potato skins making sure not to over pack. Place in an oven proof dish, cover with foil and heat in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Heat until cheese is melted.
- Serve potatoes with sour cream, chopped green onions and additional bacon.
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Nutrition
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Very good – I added some cheese sauce to shredded cheese! All completely eaten!
Sounds great! Thank you for the terrific rating.
~Donya
So easy to make–even when potatoes are baked ahead of time. I only had 1 large Russet potato, so I halved it after baking. I gutted it with an ice cream scoop after cooling for an hour (I had a lot of prep time available). I used a pastry cutter to “mash” and combine ingredients in a small glass bowl. A completely cooled potato is so easy to work with. I didn’t save any extra bacon bits, but it didn’t matter. The potatoes looked great with just the green onions and sharp cheddar cheese as toppings.
These are great! Do you think you could freeze them also?
Hey there Ann!
That’s a fantastic question! You can absolutely freeze these potatoes. What you’ll want to do is stuff them, and then freeze once they’ve been stuffed but before they’re baked again. Wrap them in parchment paper and put them in an airtight container, then when you’re ready to serve, bake them in the oven for 40-45 minutes until skin is warm and crispy. I hope this helps, let me know how they turn out!
~Donya
Thanks!
Lucky I found this, thanks!