Garden Stuffed Baked Potatoes

By Dianewaldron

Dice any leftover beefk, chicken or fish and add to these vegetable-packed potatoes. You'll have an economical, nutritious dinner that includes most of the major food groups.

Ingredients

• 4 russet potatoes
• 2 tblspn butter or margarine
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (10oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
• 1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
• 1 tblspn vegetable oil
• 2 tspn dried parsley, optional
• salt and pepper
• *Variation: add 1 cup cheddar cheese to the potato pulp mixture or top the stuffed potatoes with cheese before baking in step 4.

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 55mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Microwave pierced potatoes on HIGH for 12 minutes; bake for 15 minutes. Slice off potato tops. Scoop out pulp, keeping skins intact. Mash pulp in a medium bowl.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat; add butter. Add onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add onion, broccoli, and salad dressing to potato pulp; mix well.
Brush outside of potato skin shells with oil.
Spoon potato mixture into shells, dividing evenly. Place on a baking sheet. Bake potatoes until heated through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley; salt and pepper to taste.

*Rubbing the outside of the potatoes with oil before baking will help them absorb more heat and allows the potatoes to cook more quickly--reducing cooking time by a few minutes. It also makes the skins crisp and nicely brown.