Love her, and love potatoes—my ultimate comfort food. I’ve got plenty of great potato recipes to make the most of this versatile vegetable. And don’t let the low-carb craze deter you from enjoying potatoes. They’re high in potassium, vitamin C and offer fiber, too, especially when you eat them with their delicious skin.
Here are some of my favorite healthy potato recipes:
Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes (see recipe below) – Potatoes are one of the great comfort foods, especially when stuffed with a satisfying mixture of lean ground beef and broccoli florets plus reduced-fat sour cream and Cheddar cheese. Add a tossed salad and you have a healthy and hearty meal that will leave you feeling good.
Catfish & Potato Hash – Hash isn’t just for corned beef. It’s also great made with catfish—or other flaky white fish. Any ham adds flavor to the hash, but we think a higher-quality smoked ham will give you the biggest flavor-bang for your buck. Serve with a poached egg on top and a green salad.
Warm Chicken Sausage & Potato Salad – This super simple bistro-style salad is substantial with potatoes, arugula and chicken sausage.
Oven “Fries” – Coated with olive oil and baked in a hot oven, these fries are soft and buttery inside and crisp on the outside—the perfect combination.
Loaded Twice-Baked Potatoes
Active time: 30 minutes | Total: 40 minutes | To make ahead:
Prepare and stuff potatoes. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Microwave and serve.
4 medium russet potatoes
8 ounces 90%-lean ground beef (see Variation)
1 cup broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 cup water
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 scallions, sliced
1. Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Place in the microwave
and cook on Medium, turning once or twice, until the potatoes are
soft, about 20 minutes. (Or use the “potato setting” on your
microwave and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions.)
2. Meanwhile, brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat,
stirring often, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Increase
heat to high, add broccoli and water to the pan, cover, and cook
until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the broccoli; add to the
meat.
3. Carefully cut off the top third of the cooked potatoes; reserve
the tops for another use. Scoop out the insides into a medium bowl.
Place the potato shells in a small baking dish. Add 1/2 cup
Cheddar, sour cream, salt and pepper to the potato insides and mash
with a fork or potato masher. Add scallions and the potato mixture
to the broccoli and meat; stir to combine.
4. Evenly divide the potato mixture among the potato shells and top
with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Microwave on High until the
filling is hot and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes.
Vegetarian variation:
Replace the ground beef with a soy-based substitute or omit the
beef altogether and increase the broccoli to 1 1/2 cups and the
cheese to 1 1/4 cups.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 274 calories; 10 g fat (5 g sat, 4 g mono); 52 mg cholesterol; 24 g carbohydrate; 22 g protein; 2 g fiber; 514 mg sodium; 740 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (42% daily value), Zinc (27% dv), Potassium (21% dv), Calcium (19% dv).
By Hilary Meyer
EatingWell assistant editor Hilary Meyer spends much of her time in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, testing and developing healthy recipes. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute.
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