These twice baked potatoes are so cheesy, stuffed with broccoli and cheese plus some hidden cauliflower, but trust me no one will know!
Twice Baked Potatoes
Loaded baked potatoes are so quick and easy to make. These are a bit lighter by adding some mashed cauliflower to the potatoes! A few other baked potato recipes we love are these Loaded Philly Cheese Steak Baked Potato are the perfect main for the meat and potato lover in your life, or these Loaded Turkey Chili Baked Potatoes are great for a healthy main dish even the kids will love. And if you like baked sweet potatoes, these Sloppy Joe Baked Sweet Potatoes are a must!
These cheesy baked potatoes were first cooked in the microwave (you can of course bake them), then scooped out and mashed with cooked cauliflower, buttermilk and cheese. Then they went back into the shells and topped with steamed broccoli and more cheese, delicious!
If you want to sneak some vegetables into your family’s meal, this is the perfect side dish – great with chicken, steak or pork chops. I often add cauliflower to my mashed potatoes and no one really notices. My very popular baked potato soup is the perfect example.
Kid-friendly, vegetarian, gluten-free and simple to make. This took under 30 minutes to make, you can easily prepare them ahead and heat just before serving. I served them with Garlic Lover’s Roast Beef and I had one happy family!
What are the benefits of potato?
Besides being low cos, low carb and naturally gluten-free, eating potatoes also have some great health benefits. Some are:
- Great source of nutrients and vitamins like Vitamin C, B6, Potassium, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc. These are great for bone health, heart health and regulating blood pressure.
- Rich in antioxidants.
- They are super high in fiber so it promotes good digestion.
- Made of resistant starch which becomes a beneficial source of nutrients for the good bacteria in your gut. This in turn also help regulate blood sugar.
- No fat, sodium or cholesterol
- They’re also super filling which is great for anyone trying to lose weight!
How To Make Twice Baked Potatoes
More Baked Potato Recipes:
- Baked Potato Soup
- Loaded Philly Cheese Steak Baked Potatoes
- Crock Pot Baked Potato
- Loaded Turkey Chili Baked Potatoes
- Loaded Turkey Sante Fe Potato Skins
Twice Baked Potatoes with broccoli and cheese
Ingredients
- 18 oz 4 medium russet potatoes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower
- 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
- 1 tbsp minced chives, optional
- 1 cup 4 ounces shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork.
- Place in the microwave and use your baked potato setting until the potatoes are cooked through, turning half way. (Or you can bake 1 hour in your oven at 425° F)
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine cauliflower and broccoli with a little salted water and cook, covered for about 3 minutes.
- Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside, continue cooking the cauliflower until soft, about 5 more minutes. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise.
- Scoop the flesh out into the large bowl with the cauliflower, leaving a ¼" shell.
- Place the potato shells on a baking sheet.
- Mash the flesh with a potato masher or puree with a hand blender along with the cauliflower.
- Add the buttermilk and salt, mash until smooth.
- Fold in half of the shredded cheddar (and chives if desired).
- Spoon the potato/cauliflower mixture back into the shells.
- Top with the cooked broccoli (I just inserted them in) and remaining cheese on top.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted. (you can also microwave it for a few minutes if you prefer not to use the oven)
What a yummy recipe! Quick question how did you get the points value at 3? I plugged in the values you provided into the WW calculator and it came up to 4 Sp…did I calculate wrong?
Thank you.
Are you using the recipe builder? The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.
The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.
Thank you!
I used recipe builder too. Â The points workif I Â use fat free cheese. Â If I use low fat or reduced fat, they are 6 points each.
Ok I will double check and update if its wrong.
Made these tonight. saving up for a food processor so i omitted the cauliflower and they still came out great. looking forward to trying them again in future with the cauliflower added.
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This was delicious! Two tips and a question. Things you might not realize until the third potato – squeeze the potato slightly while scooping to make it easier. Â Also, it helps to kinda trace an outline of what you’re scooping with the spoon than to just dig in. Â Also, was there something I could do to make it easier to cut straight through the potato? Â Had a bit of skin just refusing to cut, so I wanted to know if it was something other than my knife.
Just a sharp knife!
I used an electric knife because I was making 8 potatoes for 16 guests. Excellent recipe, everyone really enjoyed them I should have made more!
Do you think you could freeze these afterwards?? I think we will have leftovers and I want to plan to use them next week too if I can…..
Just made these and want to know the same!
The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.
The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.
I just checked my WeightWatcher Calculator, and put in the exact amounts of Calories, fat, sugars, protein….and the count comes to 5 SmartPoints. (one of the reasons I am sure is because with the new plan cheese is a lot higher than it was with PointPlus. So 1/2 Loaded Skin is 5 SmartPoints
My husband made these for the 1st time tonight — we use Daiya brand vegan shreds vs. dairy cheese — they are defnitely a hit with us & we will be making them for friends as well.
these were delicious – my husband won't eat cauliflower so I didn't tell him that I put it in these – just served them and he thought they were very good – he has come to a point where he doesn't ask and I won't tell him what I am adding or not – but I must say he has enjoyed every meal I have made from your sight
Is there a print button that lets one print this out without having to do numerous cut-and-pastes, or print out multiple pages? If so, where the heck is it? I like a lot of these recipes but I get tired of dealing with them.
Made this for dinner and It was so good I almost felt guilty eating it!! I kept thinking how in the hell is this only 4 points! anyway! great recipe! 🙂
never addressed the issue with the points being off. When you put the nutritional info into the points calculator these come out at 4 points per serving.
Fantastic!
I made these a few days ago – without the broccoli on top, for my husband and son. Everyone raved about it, my son ate so many that we did not have the leftovers that I had planned for dinner the next day!
So doing the math, you need to purchase 4.5 oz potatoes? I am in trouble because I purchased 4 very medium sized russets and when I got home to my scale (while making them) weighed them at 8 oz each! They aren't even big. Guess I will be cutting my halves in half : (
When you buy them buy the bag they are small but when you purchase them single they tend to be larger.
I bought 2 russet potatoes and they are about 13-14oz each. Will this recipe still work or do I need to increase the other ingredients?Â
These are great.
Observation – don't use cheap shredded cheese. I think all the waxes added to it prevents it from melting.
I was reheating one today I unexpectedly found in the freezer. I'm not great at pre-planning, so my initial attempt to reheat it in the toaster oven didn't initially work (duh it's frozen). The shell separated from the mash. I ended up combining it all and defrosting it in the microwave. On a whim I mixed in one of those garlic & herb wedge cheeses ( I think laughing cow?) before the final zap in the microwave. It was also tasty.
Made these this weekend and they were amazing – I am eating a leftover half now for lunch! The cauliflower gives such an amazing, buttery flavor! We love roasted broccoli, so I sprayed mine with a little cooking spray before baking and it got wonderfully crispy. Another winner!
Great idea!!
Allison – I was shocked that I snuck the cauliflower into these without my brother noticing. He is ultra picky and did not realize that what he was eating was not strictly potato. Hope this helps!
We just made these for dinner tonight – and they were FANTASTIC! We added some roasted garlic (because we are serious garlic lovers here) and my family was very pleased with the results!
Can you taste the cauliflower in these? I want to make them, but my husband HATES cooked cauliflower.
These were SO good. I honestly felt like I was a twice baked potato, and felt mildly guilty about it until I realized there was no need to!
Made these tonight along with leftover minestrone soup (your recipe) need I say outstanding
Made these tonight along with leftover minestrone soup (your recipe) need I say outstanding
hey Evelyn! I never have buttermilk in my house. When I need some, esp for Irish Soda Bread, I use about a tbsp, or so of white, or apple sider vinegar to a cup of milk. Doesn't matter what type of milk percent wise, as I have done it w 1%, OR2% Just what you have on hand. Let it set while gathering up other ingredients for your recipe. When you check it, it should be something like the consistency of loose yogurt. Hope this helps! Suzan
thesewere delish! thanks for a great recipe.
Made them last nite with oven fried chicken! they were delicious!
made a few without the broccoli for my Dad and he had no clue there was califlower in the potatoes!
I made these yesterday and my family loved them. My niece ate 3 of them! I will definitely be making these again.
Perfect dish indeed, for kids too, make them eat as many vegetables in a pleasant way:) Great idea!
Another winner! ONe thing I love about your recipes is how versatile they are. Lots of times I don't have all the ingredients so I will substitute and they still turn out delicious. I didn't have buttermilk or cheddar cheese on hand today so I used a wedge of laughing cow light swiss, a tbsp of sour cream and a splash of milk. I had some parmesan so I used that on top and it was outstanding. I am defintely trying it again with the recipe as written. We also had it as our main course with a tossed green salad. Thanks again!
Celery root would be awesome here as a sub for the mashed cauliflower as well!!!…Try it!..It adds a bit of a "kick" to this already crazy-delish recipe!
Broccoli and cheese is a great combo and I like the sound of using it in twice baked potatoes!
Can I use frozen cauliflower and if so does it need to be prepared differently? I can't wait to try this!