When I don’t have time to do a lot of cooking, or I’m just not in the mood to be in the kitchen long, one of my favorite go-to meals is Vegan Baked Potatoes with Toppings like beans, noodles, vegetables, and so much more!
Confession of a potato-lover. I have had an obsession with potatoes since birth. I love them any way you cook them–baked, roasted, boiled, grilled and most any cooking method possible.
Baked potatoes are one of my favorite foods because they’re…
- So versatile
- Wholesome
- Low-fat
- Satisfying
- Can be topped with SO many different things
Baking potatoes in the oven
My favorite is to bake them in the oven, wrapped in a layer of parchment paper, then foil, and bake for an hour or so. But, if time is limited, I wrap them in parchment paper and microwave for 7-8 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.
Once the potatoes are cooked, cut them open and fill them up! There really are SO MANY options. Take a look at the list of suggestions below.
Best way to cut open a baked potato
An old friend of mine used to work at a restaurant when she was a teenager, and she showed me years ago the best way to soften a potato when you are about to load it up. Simply cut baked potatoes open and press on sides like this.
Press a little firmer and it breaks up the potato flesh inside to create a softer bed for a toppings landing.
Now, it’s time to fill the potatoes up with any of your favorite toppings. Below, I list some of our favorite ways to load them up!
Other potato cooking methods:
There are more ways to cook a potato than in the oven, especially if you only need to make one or a few.
Microwave method
Using a microwave is the quickest cooking method, and I like to use a microwave potato bag to make it even more simple.
- Wash one or two medium-size potatoes and poke a few holes in them using a sharp knife.
- Place in a potato bag and set microwave on high to cook for approximately 4-minutes.
- Check for doneness and, if it needs more time, cook another 1-2 minutes.
Air fryer method
I often make Air Fryer Baked Potatoes because they come out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- Place clean medium-size potatoes in the air fryer. They can be coated with Homemade Mayo and seasoned with salt if desired.
- Set to 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Use a fork or knife to check for doneness. Add 5 minutes at a time if they need to cook for longer.
Boiling method
- Place potatoes in a large stockpot and fill with enough water to cover them well.
- Cook on stovetop on high heat for approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Check for doneness by poking one with a knife or fork.
List of healthy potato toppings
- Tofu Sour Cream
- salsa
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
- beans
- noodles
- roasted veggies: corn, broccoli, asparagus, carrots
- steamed broccoli with vegan cheese
- Chipotle Sauce
- leftover curry or stew
- baked beans
- chili
- sautéed mushrooms and onions
- gravy
- hummus
- nutritional yeast
My homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce is always a great topping option.
Other times we heat up a McDougall noodle cup (Pad Thai, Teriyaki, Spicy Szeuchuan, or Tortilla Soup) and dump it on top of our warm, soft, fluffy baked potatoes. McDougall cups are not gluten-free.
These low-fat, oil-free, healthy noodle cups can be ordered on amazon.com. Our local health food store carries them, and they are only about $2 per cup. Click picture to view on Amazon.
Taco potato toppings
Taco Potato is a great way to spice it up a bit. Delicious, healthy baked potatoes stuffed and seasoned with your favorite taco toppings like salsa, vegan sour cream, green chives, and Cheese Sauce! It’s time for a fiesta!
This can be a quick, easy, completely nutritious meal that fills you up, and provides loads of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. You won’t be hungry for many, many hours after a Baked Potato Bonanza kind of night!
Nothing better than a loaded baked potato with my Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce, onion, cilantro, and spices! YUM!
If you reeeeally want to kick it up a notch, check out my Best Vegan Potato Recipe: Fully Loaded.
Tofu Sour Cream
Nutrition in potatoes
All potatoes contain a variety of B vitamins, including thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, folate and B-6. These vitamins help keep you healthy by powering your metabolism and pulling energy out of the foods you eat.
You’ll also get roughly 10 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement. Vitamin C boosts your immune system and blocks free radicals that try to damage cells. All potatoes have a small amount of vitamin A, which preserves your eye health and vision.—LiveStrong
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Potato Taco
Delicious, healthy baked potatoes stuffed and seasoned with your favorite taco toppings! It's time for a fiesta!
Ingredients
Bean/Bulgur/Taco Mix
- 1/2 cup cooked bulgur
- 4.5 cups cooked beans, any variety, or 3- 15 oz cans
- 1/4 cup dry taco seasoning, (purchased or homemade)
- 1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, diced
- pinch cayenne pepper, (optional)
Vegan Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup potatoes, peeled & diced
- 1/4 cup carrots, diced
- 1/4 cup onions, sliced
- 1 cup broth from veggies
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, unsoaked, (or 1/2 cup white beans)
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
Baked Potatoes
- 5-6 large baked potatoes
- 1/2 cup diced onion, for topping (optional)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, for topping (optional)
Instructions
Baking Potatoes
- You’ll want to begin by washing and baking your potatoes. I like to wrap mine in parchment paper and foil and then bake them in the oven at 400°F for approximately 1 hour, depending on the size of the potato.
- Another quicker option is to microwave the potatoes on high for around 5-6 minutes, again depending on the size of the potato. You’ll want to poke a few holes in the potatoes and wrap them in a damp paper towel before cooking so there won’t be an explosion in your microwave.
- While the potatoes are cooking, go ahead and prepare the taco bean filling.
Bean/Bulgur/Taco Mix
- Begin by making the taco flavored beans. This is another great versatile part of the recipe because you can really use any type of bean you like best.
- I tend to make a blend of black beans and red kidney beans. Sometimes I also like to add pintos. Make your own fresh beans in an Instant Pot or buy canned.
- If using canned beans, I always recommend dumping them in a colander and rinsing to remove some of the salt and preservatives.
- Add the cooked beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, bulgur (if using), and taco seasoning to a microwavable bowl or pot and heat until warm.
- Normally, I have my bulgur already cooked and stored in the freezer for recipes like this, but it is super easy to add uncooked bulgur if you prefer.
- Simply add the uncooked bulgur to the mixture of beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and taco seasoning. There will already be some liquid from the fire-roasted tomatoes, but you’ll need to mix in an extra 1/2 cup of water and allow it to heat on the stovetop or microwave until the bulgur is cooked.
- While this is heating up or cooking (if using raw bulgur), go ahead and chop up the veggies you want to use. I love to include lettuce, tomato, onions, and cilantro. Once everything is ready, it’s time to slice and stuff those potatoes.
- Delicious, healthy baked potatoes can be stuffed and seasoned with your favorite taco toppings like salsa, vegan sour cream, green chives, and Cheese’ Sauce! It’s time for a fiesta!
Vegan Cheese Sauce
- In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in the pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
- When veggies are tender, drain and place them in a blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
- Now you are ready to load your taco potato. Cut baked potatoes open and press on sides like this.
- Push the sides in a little bit to widen and soften them.
- Add spoonfuls of the bean/bulgur/taco mixture. Next, drizzle the cheese sauce over the top. Other toppings we enjoy are vegan sour cream, salsa (bought or my recipe link below), fresh cilantro, and diced green onions. Serve immediately.
Notes
Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 115Total Fat: 4gFiber: 5gProtein: 6.2g
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Tina
Friday 10th of June 2016
Curious about the purpose of wrapping the potatoes in parchment paper? I usually oven roast or microwave completely bare (no foil in oven). Is there a nutritional or taste/texture reason you do it the way you do?
EatPlant-Based.com
Friday 10th of June 2016
Tina, I sometimes cook them bare too. In my experience, they are a little more moist if wrapped, and I don't want the foil to touch them due to some research linking aluminum to Alzheimer disease. That's the only reason I use parchment paper, to separate the potato from the foil. Happy cooking! :)
Martha
Thursday 21st of January 2016
I tried his black bean soup (good), I think when he still owned the label. Wonder if, under new ownership (don't know who), the ingredients listings have changed (for the worse)?
EatPlant-Based.com
Thursday 21st of January 2016
Possibly so. I know that Dr. McDougall sold his product line to another company and the sodium content has definitely increased. I have never tried the black bean soup, but enjoy the Pad Thai, and Spicy Noodle.