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Two things: First, thank you for the sweet emails and comments on my last post about the baby- I didn't think it was possible but it made me even more excited! And secondly, I feel like I hyped my love of potatoes and my pregnancy cravings, so I felt like the first post-pregnancy announcement recipe needed to step up to the plate in terms of both. My three potato staples have been: mashed potatoes, french fries, and baked potatoes. The french fries dipped in a fair amount of ketchup while the mashed potatoes and baked potatoes had slabs of melted butter, salt, and pepper (so, so good.)
But, I've been thinking up this recipe for a few weeks now. It started with talking with another pregnant friend about cheese sauce and thus I started dreaming of potatoes smothered in cheese sauce. But then, a voice in my head said "add BBQ!" I can only blame this on the fact we had just traveled to Austin for a wedding that had BBQ catered as the dinner (so I had BBQ on the brain.)
The result was this mess of a vegetarian loaded potato. I don't think I can tell you how much I love the crumbles that make up this BBQ (which you may recognize from this Buffalo Crumble Salad from over a year ago.) It dirties a couple of pans to make these potatoes but personally I think it's well worth it. Of course, if you're not feeling the crumbles, I've also been known to roast a bit of broccoli and use that on the potato along with the cheese (note the cheese and potato are really integral.)
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Cheesy BBQ Loaded Potatoes
- Author: Erin Alderson
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 2-3 1x
- 2 large or 4 small russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinse if using canned
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4-6 tablespoons bbq sauce
- 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Chives, to top
- Preheat oven to 400˚. Scrub potatoes, poke a few holes in each, and bake until tender, 40 to 60 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine chickpeas, cooked brown rice, pecans, pepper, and salt. Pulse a few times until mixture comes together and resembles a coarsely ground meal.
- Heat a skillet over medium low heat and add mixture to pan (if using a pan that sticks, add a little olive oil). Stirring occasionally, heat mixture until fragrant, 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the BBQ, starting with 4 tablespoons and adding more as you like.
- In a small sauce pan, add shredded cheese and cornstarch. Turn on heat to medium low and heat until cheese starts to melt. Add milk, garlic powder, and salt. Whisk until the cheese is smooth and sauce like. Continue to heat and add milk to reach a cheese dip consistency (cheese shouldn't congeal together- continue to whisk and if that doesn't work, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time).
- Slice baked potatoes in half, stuff with bbq mixture, and drizzle with cheese sauce. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh chives.
This sounds amazing Erin - I love the sound of using rice and beans in the filling to make it extra filling and comforting!
Oh man, I am SO into that vegetarian BBQ crumble. Definitely adding this to my to-make list!
Wow i will def. have to try to make this vegetarian BBQ crumble. sounds amazing. I am lactose intolerant, have any suggestions for what I could to as a replacement for a few things on this list?
rae of love from berlin
I would do almond milk and whatever your favorite vegan cheese is!
Oh my! This potato stuffing is total genius. Love it!
I craved BBQ stuffed baked potatoes when I was pregnant with both my boys. Congratulations.
This is total perfection! Though I have to admit I probably will not go through the process of making these BBQ crumbles, I absolutely WILL make the baked potato and cheese sauce (though I will probably make the cheese sauce vegan, and add a bit of nutritional yeast and likely a sprinkle of smoked paprika). Thank you for the inspiration - and congratulations!
first of all, congratulations! such amazing news. Second of all, these look damn good. We have a TON of potatoes from the farm that are just waiting to be stuffed! Thanks for the inspiration.
The BBQ crumbles sound amazing - I'm absolutely putting this one menu for next week!
aw, you're so adorable! I want to hear about all your cravings, potatoes and otherwise, these next few months. so happy for you guys, E!!
Oh. Yes. I need this in my life.
I want to make this for my son, who I think would love it. He's allergic to nuts. Any ideas on substitutions, or do you think the texture will be OK if you just eliminate the nuts??
Hi Debra, sorry for the delay- my spam filter ate this question. I'd hesitate eliminating the nuts so if can eat seeds (sunflower is what I'm thinking about.) If not, then just leave them out (the texture might not me the same!)
WOW! This is a great recipe you have. I do appreciate the amazing ingredients you used for the potato. This gives a new teist to it and it would be a great recipe for thanksgiving!
Zomg. I have been fantasizing about baked potatoes all day. Great minds think alike! It really has been forever since I've had a good ol' baked white potato. I've been chowing down on sweet potatoes for a while now, and I can't wait to liven it with this recipe.
You're lucky you have an excuse for your potato cravings--mine are 24/7, and I'm only eating for one! These look adorable, and I love the BBQ flavor without the meat. The whole ingredient list covers tons of my favorites. Can't wait to try them!
Made these for dinner last night served with green beans and will be repeating! I thought it would be time-intensive, but it really wasn't at all. I made the cheese sauce for my boyfriend, but I left it off mine and it was still delicious. Total comfort food. Thanks!
★★★★
Wow.. these look amazing. They're on my list
So very tasty, and my husband (who is usually wary of vegetarian recipes) liked it too.