Bacon and Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes
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These make-ahead Bacon and Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes are the quintessential side dish for almost any holiday meal. They are a bit healthier than other twice-baked potatoes yet just as rich-tasting. Even better… they are freezer friendly!
This particular twice-stuffed baked potato recipe happens to be our all-time favorite potato side dish.
You will want to lick the mixing bowl clean after filling the potato skins at the end. Umm, I’m not speaking from experience, of course.
Ingredients in our Twice Baked Potatoes
- Baking potatoes – Russet is usually the kind I use.
- Sweet potato – Just one!
- Bacon – Bake it in the oven. Uncured bacon is preferable. Here is where we get organic beef, poultry, and pork.
- Chicken broth – Did you know you could easily make your own chicken broth?
- Butter
- Whole milk plain Greek yogurt – you can sub sour cream
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
How to Make Twice-Baked Potatoes
Here is a quick overview of how these potatoes come together.
Reasons we Love Bacon and Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes
A few things take Ultimate Bacon and Cheddar Twice-Stuffed Potatoes to the top!
1) They are healthier than most other twice-baked potato recipes
These super spuds are just a little leaner in saturated fat and calories than the norm thanks to Greek yogurt and chicken broth.
Plus, the added sweet potato and chives not only bump up the nutritional profile (hello, vitamin A and C!), but they also add beautiful color and taste.
2) You can make them ahead!
You can make these ahead of time and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months!
Prep these in advance of a holiday, so you can focus on your loved ones the day of.
3) They pair well with so many other recipes
Twice baked potatoes play nice with most recipes. Here are some ideas on what to serve with them.
Recipes that go well with twice baked potatoes
How to Freeze Twice-Baked Potatoes
Like many of our freezer meals, these potatoes are prepped right up to the point of baking. This ensures they taste as fresh as possible after freezing, thawing, and baking later.
Freeze For Later: Complete Steps 1-5. Cover the 9×13 baking dish with an air-tight lid or with a few layers of foil or plastic wrap to seal tightly. Freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw potatoes in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Bake according to Step 6.
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Ultimate Bacon and Cheddar Twice-Baked Potatoes
These make ahead twice-baked potatoes are the perfect holiday side dish! Bacon, cheddar, chives, and even some added sweet potato (for color and added nutrition) come together to create the ULTIMATE stuffed potato.
Ingredients
- 4 large baking potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 pound bacon
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) softened butter
- 3/4 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange both racks in the center, equidistant from the top and bottom.
- Scrub the potatoes, poke a few holes in each one with a knife, and wrap only the sweet potato in foil (leave the russets unwrapped). Bake on the top rack for about 1 hour, or until soft in the middle when a knife is inserted.
- While the potatoes cook, cover a rimmed sheet pan with foil (for easier clean up). Place a wire baking rack on top of the sheet pan. (The rack is optional, but allows for the bacon grease to drip below.) Squeeze the bacon slices side by side across the rack or pan. They may slightly overlap, but that’s ok. Bake on the bottom rack for 20-25 minutes, or until bacon is cooked to desired doneness. Let cool, and then chop or crumble into small pieces.
- When the potatoes are done, let them cool enough to handle. Cut all of the potatoes in half completely. Carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl, making sure to leave a bit of the flesh around all sides to keep the potatoes intact. Discard the sweet potato skin but keep the others. Place potato skins in a greased 9×13 baking dish.
- To the mixing bowl, add the chicken broth, butter, Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, and chives. Use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash and combine the mixture. Using a spoon, stir in the cheese and the chopped bacon. Scoop the mixture back in to the potato skins evenly. The stuffing will heap over the tops (yum!). (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Bake the potatoes, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until heated through and golden brown on top. Garnish with more minced chives.
Freeze For Later: Complete Steps 1-5. Cover the 9×13 baking dish with an air-tight lid or with a few layers of foil or plastic wrap to seal tightly. Freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw potatoes in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Bake according to Step 6.
Wowza these were good. I love that they have sweet potato in them. I also love that they can be made in advance to freeze. Thanks!
★★★★★