Loaded Baked Potatoes with Chili & Broccoli Au Gratin
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: American
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
My husband has had a craving for a loaded baked potato recently. For whatever reason, Wendy’s popped into my head. I haven’t heat a Wendy’s baked potato in over ten years. But I loved the broccoli cheese they would dump on top. AND I use to love Wendy’s chili (which I also haven’t had in over ten years). So, for whatever reason, I got obsessed with the idea of combining both and dumping them on a baked potato. I know, weird.
But, I’ve got to tell you, it was really good. I mean, it was a huge potato and I definitely couldn’t eat more than half of it (though my husband plowed through his and some of my son’s). So, my son hates beans in chili. Not the taste, but the texture. So I decided to do him a solid and skip the beans this time around. But, what’s great, is because of the broccoli au gratin, you still get a nice texture to the mix.
For the potatoes, I rubbed olive oil all over them and then thoroughly sprinkled them with pink Himalayan salt. I love pink Himalayan salt. They’re loaded in trace minerals and believed to be lower in sodium. Win win! As they bake in the oven, I made the chili and broccoli.
Because there aren’t any beans in the chili, I suppose you could consider it a Texas chili. It comes together super quickly in a large sauce pan with jalapeño, garlic, onions, and bell pepper. For the broccoli au gratin, I used frozen broccoli. Why does it seem that frozen broccoli has very few heads of broccoli and so many stems? Anywho, any of the big pieces, I cut to make them bite size. I opted for Colby jack rather than cheddar for the cheese sauce. It has a bit milder flavor but paired with the chili, it complimented it without overbearing it.
Once the potatoes were done, I scooped out the insides and mashed it with sour cream and butter. Then I scooped it back into the potato, topped it with the broccoli au gratin then the chili. I then added more shredded cheese and sour cream on top. These are so good.
This recipe would work equally well with sweet potato! And unless you have a huge appetite, you could easily split one potato, or save the other half for lunch leftovers!
Enjoy!
(PS, these calories are worth it 😉)
Ingredients
4 large russet potatoes
olive oil
pink Himalayan salt
4 TBs sour cream
4 TBs butter
Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 – 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 TB chili powder
½ TB molasses (or brown sugar)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
2 TBs olive oil
Broccoli Au Gratin
3 TB butter
⅓ cup flour
1½ cups milk
1½ cups Colby jack cheese, shredded
2 cups frozen broccoli, (large piece chopped to bite size)
salt and pepper
~~~~~~
To Serve
Shredded cheddar
Sour Cream
Instructions
Cook the Potatoes
Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the lower rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°
Coat the potatoes in olive oil and thoroughly sprinkle with salt. Pierce the potatoes with a fork. Set the potatoes directly on the middle rack and bake for 45 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.
Make the chili
In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and peppers, stirring often. Cook until just starting to soften ~ about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in the garlic and jalapeño and cook until fragrant ~ about 1 minute. Add in the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until all the pink is gone. Drain off all the fat in a colander and return to the stove top.
Add the diced tomatoes, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, molasses, cumin, salt, and paprika. Stir to combine. Bring the chili to a simmer and reduce the heat to low.
Make the Broccoli Au Gratin
In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and let cook 1 minute, whisking frequently. Microwave the milk for 30 seconds to take the cold out of it. Slowly add it to the pot, whisking constantly, until fully incorporated. Add the cheese and whisk until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the broccoli, stirring frequently, and cook until the broccoli is heated through.
Assemble the Potatoes
Remove the potatoes from the oven. Slice lengthwise across the top. Carefully scoop out the insides, being careful not to rip the skin. In a bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of butter per potato and mix until thoroughly combined and melted. Carefully scoop back into the potato.
Top the potato with broccoli au gratin then the chili. Top with additional cheddar and sour cream, if desired.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Loaded Baked Potato, Baked Potato with Chili, Baked Potato with Cheesy Broccoli, Baked Potato with Broccoli Au Gratin, Wendy’s Baked Potato, Wendy’s Loaded Baked Potato
