Slow Cooker Broccoli & Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

Did you know you could make gorgeous twice baked potatoes in your slow cooker?  It's a really handy recipe to know, because so often the oven is tied up with the main dish.  It is also great in the summertime because you don't have to heat up the house when it's 90 degrees outside.  Throw your meat on the grill, toss these into the slow cooker, and zap your veggies in the microwave and you're good to go!  I saw this recipe at Crock Pot Recipe Exchange.  You can use leftover baked potatoes, or just bake the potatoes in the slow cooker like I did.


Slow Cooker Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes


Ingredients:
4 Russet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
1 cup small broccoli florets, cooked until very tender
½ cup sour cream
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:


Wash and dry potatoes. Rub with oil and salt. Place in slow cooker (you can stand them on their ends or stack them if you need to) and cook on high 4-6 hours or until tender.


Remove potatoes from slow cooker and turn slow cooker down to low.  Cut an oval in the top of each potato and scoop out the flesh, leaving some in the shell to hold its shape.  Place potato flesh in a medium bowl and mash.  Add the broccoli, sour cream, and ½ cup cheese.  Stir until well combined.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if desired.  Spoon the mixture back into the hollowed out potato skins.  Top potatoes with remaining shredded cheese.


Put the potatoes back into the slow cooker.  You can stack them loosely if necessary.  Cover and cook on low for another hour or so, or until cheese has melted.  Remove from slow cooker and serve.


Makes 4 servings.

If you are using leftover baked potatoes, you will need to increase the cooking time after stuffing because the slow cooker won't be preheated.  

If your potatoes are really large, you can cut them in half lengthwise and get two servings out of one potato (like the bottom one in the picture).  But if they are medium or small, cut an oval out and use one potato per serving (like the top two in the picture).  I baked three potatoes: two medium ones and a large one.  (The other half of the large one I left plain for my daughter who is allergic to dairy.)

We had these for a nice Mother's Day dinner last night.  My husband grilled steaks, I made these, and then we ate dinner outside on our deck.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  This was my second time making these potatoes and they are always a hit.  My four year old daughter ate the large one on the bottom of the picture.  And asked for more.  And she isn't really crazy about potatoes.  My husband and I ate the skin, but Lena didn't like it and picked it off.

It would be really easy to customize these and switch up the ingredients.  You could use spinach instead of broccoli or try different cheeses.  The possibilities are endless!

Shared at:

• Totally Tasty Tuesday at Mandy's Recipe Box
• Recipe Sharing Monday at Jam Hands
• Recipe Linky at Newlyweds Blog