Taco Baked Potatoes
Twice baked taco baked potatoes are the loaded stuffed potato recipe you didn’t know you needed! Perfectly baked potatoes get stuffed with a creamy, taco meat and mashed potato mixture and loaded with your favorite Tex Mex fixin’s. Comfort food at its finest!
I don’t know about you, but all of our celebrations involve food.
Not just any food either.
Good, solid comfort food, and typically a fair amount of cheese.
What better way to check off all those boxes than with some Tex Mex fare worthy of any fiesta?
These twice baked taco baked potatoes are all of the above, and then some!
And they are perfect to celebrate any occasion from buying your first house to your kid bringing home good grades.
How can it not feel like a party with crisp potato skins stuffed with seasoned meat and cheesy Tex Mex mashed potato mixture that’s topped with more cheese, baked to golden brown perfection and loaded with your favorite Mexican fixin’s?
Ingredients
To make these you’ll need:
- Potatoes– Large russet potatoes
- Ground beef– Lean ground beef so it doesn’t get too greasy
- White onion– A small diced one.
- Taco seasoning– Your favorite variety
- Water
- Sour cream– Full fat tastes best but you could use low fat if you want
- Half and half– For the mashed potato part of the filling
- Cheese– Shredded Mexican blend. You could sub shredded cheddar or shredded cheddar jack.
- Toppings– More sour cream, salsa, thinly sliced green onions, chopped jalapenos, chopped cilantro. Basically your favorite taco toppings.
How to Make
If you’ve ever made taco meat and twice baked potatoes, you can make these twice baked taco baked potatoes with no sweat!
To do it, start by pricking potatoes that you’ve scrubbed clean evenly over the surface with a fork.
Bake them on a baking sheet at 475 degrees for an hour, or until they are soft.
While the potatoes are cooking, make the taco meat by sautéing the beef and diced onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the beef’s cooked through.
Strain the beef and return it to the skillet.
Stir the taco seasoning and water into the meat and keep cooking everything over medium heat, just until the sauce has thickened.
Remove the taco meat from heat and set it aside.
When the potatoes are done, take them out of the oven and put them onto wire racks to cool for 15 minutes.
Once they have cooled so you can safely handle them, use a paring knife remove just the top bit of skin from the potato, creating a ‘lid’.
Scoop the soft inside out of the center of the potato with the spoon to create a well in the potato and put the insides of the potato into a mixing bowl.
Repeat this for all the potatoes.
Set the potato shells aside to make the filling.
Add the sour cream, half and half, taco meat mixture, and 3/4 cup of cheese to the mixing bowl with the potato insides.
Stir/mash everything together until the mixture’s evenly combined.
Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Then, scoop the mixture back into the hollowed out potatoes, evenly, until they’re all completely stuffed.
Return the stuffed potatoes to the baking sheet and top them with the remaining cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, transfer them to cooling racks, and let them cool for 5-10 minutes.
Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Topping Ideas
Top this taco baked potatoes with your favorite taco toppings like:
- salsa or pico de gallo
- sour cream
- sliced avocado or guacamole
- cilantro and green onions
- jalapenos
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers without the extra toppings on them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat them in a hot oven until they are warmed through and the cheese has melted again.
Tips and Tricks
- It may take your potatoes longer to cook depending on your altitude, oven, etc. The potatoes are done and ready to be stuffed when they are tender and have give when you gently squeeze them with tongs.
- Don’t skip the cooling part of this! The potatoes will be extremely hot when you first take them out of the oven and you don’t want to get burned.
- When you scoop out the inside of the potatoes, take as much out as you can while leaving a thin layer intact to hold the filling in.
- It’s ok if you have to press the filling into the wells in the potatoes and the wells overflow a bit.
Other Creative Taco Meals
Twice baked taco baked potatoes are a delicious spin on taco night and baked potatoes worthy of any celebration.
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other creative taco meals?
Try these:
- One Pot Taco Spaghetti
- Doritos Taco Pasta Salad
- Taco Tortellini Skillet
- Slow Cooker Taco Potato Casserole
If you’ve tried this TWICE BAKED TACO BAKED POTATOES, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Twice Baked Taco Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1 1 oz pkt taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup half & half
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheeses
- thinly sliced green onions for garnish
- chunky salsa for garnish
- additional sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes until clean. Prick them evenly all over the surface with a fork. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 475 degrees for an hour, or until soft. Depending on your oven and altitude, it could take longer.4 large russet potatoes
- White the potatoes are cooking, add the beef & onion to a large skillet and saute-stirring and breaking up- over medium heat until the beef's cooked through. Strain, and return to the skillet.1 lb ground beef, 1 small white onion
- Stir the taco seasoning and water into the meat until evenly incorporated. Continuing cooking over medium heat, just until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat, set aside.1 1 oz pkt taco seasoning, 1/4 cup water
- Remove the cooked, soft potatoes from the oven. Transfer them to wire racks and let them cool for about 15 minutes. Use a paring knife to remove just the top bit of skin from the potato, creating a 'lid'.
- Using a spoon, scoop the soft flesh out of the center of the potato, and transfer to a large mixing bowl, to create a bowl. Scoop out as much as you can, just leaving a thin layer intact to prevent leakage. Repeat for all potatoes.
- Add the sour cream, half & half, taco meat mixture, and 3/4 cup of cheese to the mixing bowl. Stir/mash everything together until the mixture's smooth and evenly incorporated. Salt & pepper, to taste.1/2 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup half & half, 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheeses
- Scoop the mixture back into the hollowed out potatoes, evenly, until they're all completely stuffed. It's ok if it goes above the rim, and also ok if you need to pack them down some to fit it all. Return the stuffed potatoes to the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese evenly out over top of the potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, watching so the cheese melts and crisps but doesn't burn. Remove the potatoes from the oven, again transferring them to cooling racks, and let them rest for 5-10 minutes.
- To serve, top them with a dollop of sour cream, salsa, and a sprinkle of green onion.thinly sliced green onions, chunky salsa, additional sour cream
Notes
- It may take your potatoes longer to cook depending on your altitude, oven, etc. The potatoes are done and ready to be stuffed when they are tender and have give when you gently squeeze them with tongs.
- Don't skip the cooling part of this! The potatoes will be extremely hot when you first take them out of the oven and you don't want to get burned.
- When you scoop out the inside of the potatoes, take as much out as you can while leaving a thin layer intact to hold the filling in.
- It's ok if you have to press the filling into the wells in the potatoes and the wells overflow a bit.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Spicy Southern Kitchen
Tex Mex anything is always a hit at our house. I love how packed with goodies these bakes potatoes are. Thanks again for sharing at FF!
Who knew a simple potato could hold so much?!