Loaded baked potatoes with broccoli and cheddar
The microwave does the baking in about twelve minutes, so a fluffy, cheesy, fully loaded potato is a real weeknight dinner.
- 20 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.54 a serving
- 660 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 20 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 russet potatoes, large, about 12 oz each
- 2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 pinches black pepper
Each serving has about 660 calories, 22 g protein, 52 g carbs and 42 g fat, and costs about $2.54 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon gold potatoes work.
- No broccoli? Frozen broccoli works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or mexican blend cheese or monterey jack cheese works.
- No sour cream? Plain greek yogurt works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Scrub the potatoes under running water, dry them, and poke each one 6 to 8 times all over with a fork.
Dolly’s tip: The holes let steam escape. Skip them and a potato can burst in the microwave.Microwave the potatoes on a plate for 5 minutes, then flip them over with an oven mitt.
Timer: 5 min
Microwave 5 to 7 minutes more, until a knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance.
Timer: 6 min
Dolly’s tip: Big potatoes can take longer. Add a minute at a time until the knife goes in like butter.Wrap the potatoes in a clean kitchen towel so they stay hot while you cook the broccoli.
Put the broccoli and water in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with a plate, and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes to it until bright green.
Steam. Steaming means cooking food over or in a little simmering water with a lid on to trap the steam. It cooks gently and keeps vegetables bright and tender.
How you’ll know: The color turns vivid, and a fork goes in with just a little resistance.
Timer: 2 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Lift the plate away from you. The steam that rushes out is hotter than it looks.Cut each potato open and push the ends toward the middle so the inside puffs up.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Add a tablespoon of butter and each of salt and pepper to each potato, and fluff the inside with a fork.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Pile on the broccoli and cheddar and microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, until the cheese .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 45 sec
Top each with a big spoonful of sour cream and the green onions.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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30-minute dinners ›Vegetarian dinners ›What to make with potatoes and cheddar ›