Mediterraenan Loaded Baked Potatoes

Enjoy a Mediterranean twist on loaded baked potatoes. Crispy skin with creamy, fluffy insides topped with Greek tzatziki, diced tomatoes, olives, and feta.

While traditional loaded baked potatoes are typically piled high with cheddar cheese, onions, bacon, and sour cream, I wanted to make my own Mediterranean twist on the humble baked potato. As you may have already guessed, sour cream and bacon aren’t really my thing, but healthy, easy weeknight dinners are!

When it comes to loading potatoes in my house, I keep it vegetarian, and swap sour cream for tzatziki, season the filling with oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and let some of my favorite Mediterranean toppings do the rest. I’m talking briny sliced olives, creamy feta, chopped parsley, and fresh tomato.

The end result is a dinner that is colorful, vibrant, and full of flavor. It’s filling without being heavy and mostly hands-off.

My Favorite Ingredients

• Russet potatoes: These big starchy potatoes are your best bet for making perfect loaded baked potatoes.
• Extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, and dried oregano are the filling flavor makers. I use them to season the inside and outside of the potatoes.
• Greek tzatziki sauce: Super thick and creamy, garlicky, tangy, and the perfect healthy substitution for sour cream…plus loads more flavor!
• Fresh Parsley adds a fresh peppery bite and adds a pretty pop of color.
• Diced tomato: Fresh tomatoes add a slight acidity to these loaded potatoes and are a staple Mediterranean veggie.
• Olives: Briny, salty, and bursting with flavor, you can use green or brown olives. I’m a fan of both.
• Feta Cheese: Adds another layer of salty, cheesy goodness – everything is truly better with feta

How to Make Loaded Baked Potatoes

Loaded Baked Potato Tips

• Pick the perfect potato: Russets are classic for loaded baked potatoes because they are large and high in starch, which gives the interior that fluffy, creamy texture. However, I often make roasted sweet potatoes and stuff them similarly to this recipe. I even eat them for breakfast. If you have sweet potatoes on hand, try them out.
• For crisp skin, rub the outside of the potato with olive oil and season with salt. It helps crisp up the exterior skin while adding a little flavor and giving the salt something to stick to.
• For creamy flesh, bake the potatoes in a moderately heated oven. I set my oven to 375°F and baked the potatoes for 1 hour. This way, I know I’ll get a fluffy potato inside and crispy skin outside.
• Preheat the oven before putting in the potatoes. This helps make sure the potatoes cook properly and evenly.
• Season the filling: Go the extra mile to ensure the potato flesh is fluffy and well-seasoned. As you’ll see in the recipe below, once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out into a bowl, add a little olive oil, and season. Taste and adjust to your liking. Then, scoop the potato flesh back into the skins and fill them. This packs loads more flavor.
• Bake in foil or not: I like a crispy skin, so I don’t use foil and let the hot air circulate around the potato. If you prefer potatoes with a tender skin, then feel free to wrap them in foil

Toppings with a Twist!

Loaded baked potatoes are a food lover’s playground! Mix and match what you have at home, better yet, create a toppings bar and let everyone build their own potato. I love adding bold, fresh toppings to my baked potatoes, with a Mediterranean flair, of course! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Chickpeas (I added these to my stuffed sweet potato recipe, and they are a fan favorite!)
• Fresh herbs (dill, cilantro, green onions, chives)
• Diced avocado or avocado crema is a great way to add some healthy fats and creamy textures to your potatoes.
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Spicy cilantro pesto
• Hummus
• Pickled Onions
• If you really want a garlic kick, top your potatoes with Toum, or for a softer flavor, try roasted garlic.

Make it a Meal

Loaded baked potatoes count as a full meal in my house, but if you want to make dinner stretch or you’re just one of those folks who like a lot of variety, then try serving these potatoes as a side to recipes like Whole Roasted Chicken or Shish Kabobs. If you want to round out the meal with something fresh, a Traditional Greek Salad pairs beautifully with the flavors in this recipe.

5 from 22 votes

Mediterranean Loaded Baked Potato Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Add As A Trusted Google Source Suzy Karadsheh

The perfect loaded baked potato, fluffy and creamy on the inside with crispy skin and packed with flavor from toppings like Greek Tzatziki sauce, olives, tomatoes, and feta!

Prep – 10 minutes mins

Cook – 1 hour hr

Cuisine:

Mediterranean

Serves – 4

Course:

Sides

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 large russet potatoes, scrubed clean and dried
• ▢ extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ black pepper
• ▢ 1-2 tsp dried oregano

For the Toppings

• ▢ Greek Tzatziki Sauce
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 large tomato, diced
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped pitted Greek olives
• ▢ crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

 

• Get Ready: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
•  Prepare the Potatoes: Poke holes all over the potatoes using a fork. Rub the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are super soft and fork-tender and the skin is nice and crisp (can take up to 75 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes.
• Prepare your toppings: While the potatoes are baking, make the Tzatziki sauce, chop the tomatoe and parsley, and crumble the feta.
• Rest, scoop, and season: When the potatoes are ready, remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Slice each open while keeping the bottom skin intact, and scoop the potato flesh out into a bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Mash with a fork.
• Fill, top, and serve! Now, scoop the mashed potatoes back into the skins, then top with the Tzatziki sauce, olives, feta and fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Notes

Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.

Nutrition

Calories: 202.3kcalCarbohydrates: 41.2gProtein: 5.3gFat: 2.9gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.9gSodium: 279.8mgPotassium: 1016mgFiber: 4.2gSugar: 2.3gVitamin A: 964.9IUVitamin C: 26.3mgCalcium: 57.9mgIron: 2.6mg

Tried this recipe?

Mention @Themediterraneandish Or Tag #Themediterraneandish!

*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2017 and has been recently updated with new information for the reader’s benefit

Bundle and Save!

Four of our best-selling signature olive oils, perfect for everyday use.

Buy Now