Loaded baked potato filling ideas
Eight easy, tasty fillings to load into fluffy baked potatoes — from chilli and cheesy beans to tzatziki and roasted veg.
Baked potatoes are the ultimate blank canvas — crispy skins, pillowy centres and endless topping possibilities. Here are eight easy fillings you can make in the same time it takes to bake a potato, from proper chilli con carne to a zingy tzatziki option.
Make a few fillings and let everyone load their own jacket potato for a relaxed midweek supper or simple weekend lunch. Most of the filling prep can happen while the potatoes bake — winner.
Ingredients
- 4 large floury potatoes
- 15 ml olive oil
- 5 g sea salt
- 80 g unsalted butter
- 50 ml whole milk
- black pepper — to taste
- 150 g reduced-fat mature cheddar — grated
- 400 g baked beans — tinned
- 400 g minced beef
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed
- 15 g tomato purée
- 400 g chopped tomatoes — tinned
- 5 ml chilli powder
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 150 ml beef stock — warm
- 160 g tinned tuna in spring water — drained
- 100 g mayonnaise
- 150 g sweetcorn kernels — tinned or thawed
- 1 aubergine — medium, diced
- 1 courgette — medium, diced
- 1 red pepper — deseeded, chopped
- 100 g feta cheese — crumbled
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms — sliced
- 50 ml double cream
- 300 g cooked chicken — shredded or chopped
- 10 ml curry powder
- 50 g mango chutney
- 150 g natural yoghurt
- 1/2 cucumber — grated
- 10 g fresh mint — finely chopped
- 50 g black olives — pitted, sliced
- 200 g broccoli florets
- 80 g blue cheese — crumbled
- 1 lemon — juiced
- 5 ml paprika
- 3 spring onions — sliced
Equipment
- baking tray
- large frying pan
- saucepan
- grater
- colander
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional.
Scrub the potatoes, prick each a few times with a fork, rub all over with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place on a baking tray.
Bake the potatoes on the middle shelf for 1 hour, until a skewer slides in easily and the skins are crisp.
While potatoes begin to bake, make the chilli con carne: heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, add the brown onion and one crushed garlic clove and fry until soft, about 5 minutes.
Increase the heat, add the minced beef and brown for about 8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon.
Stir in the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, ground cumin and beef stock. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes to thicken.
For creamy mushrooms: melt 10g unsalted butter in another frying pan, add the remaining crushed garlic clove and chestnut mushrooms, fry until golden, around 8 minutes.
Pour in the double cream and a splash of lemon juice or white wine if you like; bubble for 2 minutes until glossy. Season with black pepper.
For roasted aubergine, courgette and pepper: toss aubergine, courgette and red pepper with a tbsp olive oil, dried oregano and a pinch of sea salt, spread on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes at 200°C fan/220°C conventional (can be done while potatoes finish).
Heat the baked beans in a small saucepan for 3 minutes until hot, then stir through half the grated cheddar for cheesy beans.
Make the tuna mayo: flake the tinned tuna into a bowl, stir in mayonnaise, sweetcorn, a squeeze of lemon and most of the spring onions.
For coronation chicken filling: mix the cooked chicken with mayonnaise, curry powder, mango chutney and sliced spring onions. Chill briefly if you prefer it cold.
Tzatziki: grate the cucumber, sprinkle with a little sea salt and leave in a sieve to drain for 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid and mix with natural yoghurt, a crushed garlic clove, chopped fresh mint and a squeeze of lemon.
Steam or blanch the broccoli florets for 5 minutes until tender, then toss with crumbled blue cheese and a grind of black pepper.
When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes. Then cut a lengthways slit, push the ends to open and fluff the insides with a fork. Add a knob of butter and splash of milk into each and season with black pepper.
To assemble: spoon your chosen filling into the opened potatoes — suggested pairings: chilli con carne with extra grated cheddar and spring onions; cheesy baked beans; tuna mayo; roasted aubergine, courgette and feta; creamy mushrooms; coronation chicken; tzatziki with black olives; broccoli with blue cheese.
Serve immediately while hot, with extra grated cheddar, a wedge of lemon or chopped fresh mint if you like.
Tips
- Cook bigger potatoes together with smaller ones on separate shelves if you want consistent timing.
- Do as much filling prep as possible while the potatoes are in the oven — saves time and keeps everything hot.
- Drain grated cucumber thoroughly for tzatziki to avoid a watery potato.
- If short on oven space, roast veg in a hot frying pan with a lid instead — it’ll brown nicely and cook through.
- Leftover fillings freeze well (not tzatziki); label and freeze meats or bean-based mixtures for quick future meals.
Substitutions
minced beef → minced turkey or plant-based mince in the same quantity
Stays closereduced-fat mature cheddar → mature cheddar or a vegetarian hard cheese in the same quantity
Stays closedouble cream → half the quantity of natural yoghurt for a lighter creamy mushroom (thinner texture)
Noticeably differentbaked beans → spiced tomato beans or chilli beans in the same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 705
- Calories
- 40 g
- Protein
- 80 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
How do I know when a potato is cooked through?
Insert a skewer — it should slide in with little resistance. For a foolproof test, weigh a potato before and after baking: a fully cooked floury potato will feel very soft and the skin crisp.
Can I make the fillings ahead?
Yes — most savoury fillings (chilli, beans, roasted veg, coronation chicken) keep well in the fridge for 2–3 days and can be reheated. Tzatziki is best made on the day.
Can I microwave the potatoes to save time?
You can par-cook in the microwave for 6–8 minutes then finish in a hot oven for 15 minutes to crisp the skin. Results won’t be quite the same as a full oven bake but it’s fine midweek.
Which potato variety is best?
Choose large floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward) for the fluffiest interior and crisp skins.
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