These Broccoli-Cheddar Loaded Baked Potatoes are the PERFECT dinner! Imagine a savory, seasoned baked potato stuffed with chopped broccoli, cheddar cheese, and bacon… then topped off with a beautiful homemade cheese sauce. They look so fancy but are honestly REALLY simple to make – let’s get into it!
Let’s be real – my Broccoli Cheddar Loaded Baked Potatoes literally gave me life on a super cold and dreary day.
It had been raining all day in Georgia, and my other friends in TX and MS are dealing with entire power outages/no water/general chaos from a crazy winter storm. So essentially, I was not feeling it!
I had some potatoes and thought about how low-maintenance they are – you can just set them in the oven and leave them alone while they bake. Voila, this dinner recipe was born!
Making Stuffed Potatoes at Home
My Stuffed Loaded Baked Potatoes start out with a simple method of baking the potatoes for 45 minutes until the insides are soft. Then, scoop out the potato mash into a bowl. Add chopped cooked bacon (leave out if vegetarian), chopped broccoli, shredded cheese, and a bit of sour cream & milk; stir it all together with some seasonings.
Stuff your potato filling back into the shells, throw them back in the oven, and quickly make this homemade cheese sauce – which turned out way better and easier than anticipated. I’ve found that most recipes call for you to shred your own cheese to avoid that clumping that comes from the starch on pre-shredded… You can actually do it either way! See below for my method on a perfectly silky smooth homemade cheese sauce.
Pop these babies out of the oven and pour that homemade cheese sauce on top – and you’re in heaven. For real. These are so easy but super warm and filling. I’ve never been that person who would spend money at a restaurant for stuffed potatoes because they’re so simple to make – so you definitely have to give this homemade version a try!
How to Make Homemade Cheese Sauce
Let’s get into it – this is going to look so fancy once we finish, but it’s really super easy. First up: the type of cheese.
I definitely suggest using a cheddar block and shredding yourself (I used a microplane for super fine shreds) if you can get your hands on one. However, I’ve also made this a quicker way by using the finely-shredded bagged cheese you can find at the grocery store!
We are going to simply heat some milk and our cheese over medium-low heat, stirring continuously. Then as it begins to become a smooth sauce, add in a dash of hot sauce and a couple of shakes of turmeric for a beautiful orange color.
If your cheese sauce is too thin? Add some flour, starting out at one tbsp., and stir really well. If it is too thick for your taste? Add a touch more milk or veggie stock to thin it out. And that’s it!
Other Cold-Weather Dinners You’ll Love!
Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Dairy-Free)
Broccoli Cheddar Loaded Baked Potatoes (with Cheese Sauce)
Ingredients
Potatoes
- 4 ct russet potatoes
- 1 – 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups broccoli florets steamed or roasted
- 4 strips cooked bacon
- 1 cup sour cream or unflavored Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk/almond milk
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese finely shredded
- ½ tbsp. salt more to taste, if needed
- ½ tbsp. black pepper more to taste, if needed
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup milk/almond milk
- 1 cup cheddar cheese finely shredded
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1-2 tbsp. flour for thickening
- ground turmeric (optional – for color)
Instructions
- Wash the outside of the potatoes throroughly. Brush with vegetable oil, and poke holes all over the potatoes using a fork.
- Bake on 450°F for 45 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooling, chop up the broccoli and cooked bacon into small pieces.
- Scoop out the insides of the potato into a large bowl.
- Mash together the potato mash, chopped broccoli, chopped bacon (save a bit to sprinkle on top), sour cream, milk, and ¼ cup of cheddar cheese. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. The potato mixture should be smooth and even.
- Scoop the mixture back into the potatoes. Bake for another 10 minutes at 450°F.
- While the loaded potatoes are baking: add the milk, cheddar cheese, and hot sauce to a saucepan on medium-low heat.
- Stir continuously until everything is melted and it has a smooth consistency. If needed, add a bit more milk to thin out the sauce or the flour to thicken the sauce.Optional: for more orange color, add a few shakes of turmeric powder.
- Serve the loaded potatoes with cheese sauce, sour cream, chives, and more crumbled bacon on top. Enjoy!
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The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving: $2.61
- Total Cost (4 servings): $10.44
- Those Other Guys: $14.99 per serving
