Loaded Baked Mexican Potatoes stuffed with taco-seasoned ground beef, black beans, corn, salsa and melty pepper jack cheese. Easy, filling and freezer-friendly.
Absolutely delicious! I made this as a freezer meal for my daughter when she had her second baby. I subbed ground turkey, but followed everything else as listed. They were an absolute hit. Even my 22 month old grandson loved them.
-Janet L.
P.S. If you’ve got extra sweet potatoes, make these honey-lime chicken sausage bowls next. Roasted sweet potatoes, rice and chicken sausage with a honey-lime dressing. One of my favorite meal-prep lunches lately.
Jump to:
from my actual life
(feel free to skip to the potatoes)
This week we’re making loaded Mexican baked potatoes. Taco night, but the potato is the tortilla. I looooove a meal that makes me feel like I’m the type of person who makes healthy choices.
These aren’t a 15-minute dinner, but there is very little chopping, a couple of smart shortcuts, and most of the time is just the potatoes baking. If you double the recipe, now you’re meal prepping too, which feels almost excessively responsible. These freeze really well.
For five years I ran a nonprofit where we filled deep freezers with 30 homemade meals and delivered them to families impacted by cancer. When the food was gone, we picked the freezer back up. We asked every family which meals they liked best, and these potatoes consistently landed in the top three.
Bailey
P.S. f you’ve got extra sweet potatoes, make these honey-lime chicken sausage bowls next. Roasted sweet potatoes, rice and chicken sausage with a honey-lime dressing. One of my favorite meal-prep lunches lately.
ingredients + substitutions
potatoes: You are going to want to stick with either a sweet potato or a russet potato. Waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or red potatoes don’t work well for this recipe.
olive oil: Avocado oil is the best substitute. Canola or vegetable oil could also be used.
ground beef: Ground turkey or ground chicken both work. Just add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan first so they don’t stick.
taco seasoning: If you are out of store-bought taco seasoning, use 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and ½ teaspoon each paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and table salt.
frozen corn: Use 1 cup fresh corn cut from the cob or 1 cup drained canned corn. No need to cook fresh corn first.
black beans: Pinto beans are the best swap.
jarred salsa: A thick jarred salsa verde can be used in place of red salsa.
sour cream: Full-fat plain Greek yogurt works well and is great if you want a healthier option.
pepper Jack cheese: Monterey Jack, cheddar, or a Mexican-style cheese blend all work.
fresh cilantro: Sliced green onions are a good swap, or just leave the cilantro out.
top tip: extra filling
A pound of ground beef plus the beans, corn, salsa, and cheese is more than you’re going to fit back into the potatoes. I portion the extra into containers and eat it throughout the week. Ironically, it also makes an excellent burrito if you wrap it all up in a tortilla. Making “healthy choices” is overrated anyway.
instructions
Step 1: Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and hit them with a little olive oil. Season with salt + pepper, then arrange them flesh-side down on a sheet pan. No parchment. This cuts your cooking time way down, and the side touching the pan gets nice and caramelized.
Step 2: The filling is pretty much one giant shortcut. You brown the ground beef, and then basically dump and mix. We’re using frozen corn, canned black beans, store-bought taco seasoning, and jarred salsa.
Step 3: When the potatoes are out of the oven and cool, use a spoon to scoop out most of the insides right into the skillet with the beef mixture. Leave enough potato around the edges that the skins don’t collapse on themselves. Add sour cream, cilantro and cheese, then mix. It's going to be ugly, we don't judge.
Step 4: Last step is technically optional. You could absolutely just heat everything in the pan on the stove and scoop it into a bowl. But, for presentation’s sake, a proper chef would spoon the filling back into the potato skins, add a little cheese on top, and pop everything back into the oven until hot and melty.
worth knowing
fully cook the potatoes: Trying to make this recipe with potatoes that aren’t fully cooked is not something you want to do. You’ll spend more time fighting to scoop them than you would have if you just let them cook a little longer. They should be REALLY soft. With sweet potatoes, I look for juices bubbling out around the edges. Either way, a knife should slide through with almost no resistance. The time in the recipe is just an estimate because potatoes vary way too much in size for me to get super specific.
they might stick: Since we aren’t using parchment, the caramelized potatoes may stick a bit to the sheet pan. Slide a thin metal spatula under each potato to release it before you flip them over to scoop.
thick salsa (the cheap kind): Homemade salsa, or even the store-bought version of “homemade salsa,” is delicious. Skip it here. You want the thick jarred kind so the filling doesn’t get watery.
size matters: Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size so they roast at the same time. That is all.
make ahead: If it works better with your schedule, you can assemble the potatoes earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate and then bake right before eating. They will need a little longer in the oven since they’re starting cold.
storage and freezing
refrigerate: Leftover potatoes and/or filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
freeze: Complete the recipe through step 5 and stuff the potato skins. Skip topping with cheese and do not bake. Allow the assembled potatoes to cool completely. Arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid, about 6 hours. Once frozen, wrap each potato individually and store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
reheat: Microwave individual potatoes until hot, or bake them on a sheet pan loosely covered with foil at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil for the last few minutes and add a little fresh cheese on top.
Recipe
Loaded Baked Mexican Potatoes
Loaded Baked Mexican Potatoes stuffed with taco-seasoned ground beef, black beans, corn, salsa and melty pepper jack cheese. Easy, filling and freezer-friendly.
- Total Time1 hour
- Yield8 stuffed potato halves + extra filling 1x
Ingredients
-
4 large (about 3 pounds) sweet potatoes or russet potatoes
-
1 tablespoon olive oil
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¾ teaspoon table salt
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black pepper
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1 pound ground beef
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2 tablespoons taco seasoning
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1 cup (150g) frozen corn
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1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
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1 ½ cups (355g) thick jarred salsa
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½ cup (113g) sour cream
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1 cup (113g) shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
-
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
-
Heat oven to 425°F. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Arrange them on an unlined sheet pan cut side up. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then season with ¾ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Flip the potatoes over (flesh side down) and roast until very soft, about 30–40 minutes.
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While the potatoes roast, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound ground beef and cook, using a spatula to break it into crumbles, until browned. Drain excess grease as needed. Stir in 2 tablespoons taco seasoning.
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To the same skillet, add 1 cup frozen corn, 1 can black beans, and 1 ½ cups salsa. Mix well. Continue cooking until everything is hot and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
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When the potatoes are cool enough to touch, loosen with a sharp metal spatula and flip them over. Use a small scoop or spoon to scoop most of the flesh from each potato into the skillet. Leave a border around each skin so it holds its shape and doesn’t collapse.
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To the skillet, add ½ cup sour cream, ¾ cup pepper Jack cheese, and ¼ cup cilantro. Stir until combined.
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Spoon the filling back into the hollow potato skins. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining ¼ cup pepper Jack cheese. Return to the oven and bake 5–10 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted.
Notes
fully cook the potatoes: Trying to make this recipe with potatoes that aren’t fully cooked is not something you want to do. You’ll spend more time fighting to scoop them than you would have if you just let them cook a little longer. They should be REALLY soft. With sweet potatoes, I look for juices bubbling out around the edges. Either way, a knife should slide through with almost no resistance. The time in the recipe is just an estimate because potatoes vary way too much in size for me to get super specific.
they might stick: Since we aren’t using parchment, the caramelized potatoes may stick a bit to the sheet pan. Slide a thin metal spatula under each potato to release it before you flip them over to scoop.
thick salsa (the cheap kind): Homemade salsa, or even the store-bought version of “homemade salsa,” is delicious. Skip it here. You want the thick jarred kind so the filling doesn’t get watery.
size matters: Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size so they roast at the same time. That is all.
you will have extra filling: A pound of ground beef plus the beans, corn, salsa, and cheese is more than you’re going to fit back into the potatoes. I portion the extra into containers and eat it throughout the week. Ironically, it also makes an excellent burrito if you wrap it all up in a tortilla. Making “healthy choices” is overrated anyway.
make ahead: If it works better with your schedule, you can assemble the potatoes earlier in the day, cover and refrigerate and then bake right before eating. They will need a little longer in the oven since they’re starting cold.
refrigerate: Leftover potatoes and/or filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, microwave individual potatoes until hot, or bake them on a sheet pan loosely covered with foil at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil for the last few minutes and add a little fresh cheese on top.
freeze: Complete the recipe through step 5 and stuff the potato skins. Skip topping with cheese and do not bake. Allow the assembled potatoes to cool completely. Arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze until solid, about 6 hours. Once frozen, wrap each potato individually and store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Healthy Dinners
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 potato half
- Calories: 426
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 845mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 56mg
Related
Looking for other recipes like Loaded Baked Mexican Potatoes? Try these:
- Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken with Chipotle Lime
- Healthy Chicken Burrito Bowls with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
- 30-minute Vegetable Taco Soup
- 30 Minute Crunchy Wonton Taco Cups (Easy Recipe)
- Easy Instant Pot Chicken Enchiladas
- Creamy Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
- Freezer-Friendly Chicken Chipotle Burritos
- 4-Ingredient Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken (Easy Recipe)
Kristi Rimkus
I saw this recipe over on Pinterest and had to stop by to tell you how delicious it looks!
Bailey Sissom
Thanks Kristi! It is one of our family favorites:)
Jan
Absolutely delicious! I made this as freezer meals for my daughter when she had her 2nd baby a month early. I used 8 small potatoes and ground turkey, but followed everything else as listed.. I had a lot of filling., so my skins were mounding over. I just kind of flattened them out and put in freezer bags.
They were an absolute hit.! They are healthy eaters so they loved having these as a go to. Even my 22- month old grandson loved them!