These easy twice-baked ground turkey potatoes are stuffed with creamy mashed potatoes and taco-spiced turkey. They are all topped off with gooey melted cheese.
What's to love about twice-baked ground turkey potatoes
⭐️ This recipe is so simple to put together and uses common ingredients, making it ideal for easy last-minute weeknight meals. We usually rotate between this recipe and Turkey Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes because they come together so quickly.
⭐️ Between the mashed potatoes and the turkey taco meat, this recipe is always popular with both kids and adults. It's healthy comfort food - the kind of meal that makes me look forward to dinnertime.
⭐️ Twice-baked potatoes can become laden with saturated fat pretty quickly if you're not careful. In this recipe, I used ground turkey instead of beef, and opted for skim milk and light cream cheese for the mashed potatoes. Lightened-up with sacrificing any flavor!
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Tips for making this recipe
- To shorten the overall cooking time, cook the potatoes in the microwave. After stuffing with the filling, pop the potatoes into the oven crisp up the skin and melt the cheese.
- For the ground turkey taco flavoring, either use the spices listed in the recipe card below or use about 4 teaspoons of my Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- For mashing a small amount of potatoes, this mini potato masher comes in really handy.
- Serve the twice-baked potatoes with a dollop of salsa for some extra "zing".
See recipe card below for full ingredients list & recipe directions.
Vegetarian variation
For a vegetarian option, swap out the ground turkey with black beans, corn and red bell pepper. First sauté some onions, add some minced garlic and the spices, then stir this mixture into the beans, corn and bell pepper.
How to make ground turkey potato recipe
- Cook the potatoes: This is a "twice-baked" potato recipe, but I often take a shortcut when I'm short on time by cooking the potatoes in the microwave for the first round of "baking". If you prefer, bake the potatoes in the oven under tender. For the microwave method, pierce the potatoes in multiple places with a fork. Microwave on HIGH until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. This typically takes about 12 minutes, but cooking time varies dependent on the size of the potatoes and the wattage of your microwave.
- Scoop: When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each one in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a ¼-inch border. Transfer the flesh to a medium-sized bowl and place the potato skins on a baking sheet.
- Mash the potatoes: Use a potato masher (I like this small one), mash the potatoes with the cream cheese and milk until smooth.
- Cook the ground turkey: Heat a large nonstick skillet, lightly coat it with cooking spray and cook the ground turkey, crumbling it as it cooks. Once cooked through, add the garlic and spices, and cook for another minute or two.
- Mix and fill: Stir the ground turkey mixture into the mashed potatoes, along with a bit of the grated Cheddar cheese and chopped green onions. Fill the potato skins with the mashed potato/turkey mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake and serve: Bake the filled potatoes until the cheese is melted and the potato skins are starting to crisp. Serve them with a dollop of salsa, if you like.
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Meal Prep and Storage
You can prepare the mashed potato mixture and cook the ground turkey in advance, storing them separately in the refrigerator for up to two days. The potatoes will likely dry out at a bit, so stir in a little milk until the potatoes reach the desired consistency. Then mix the potatoes with the ground turkey mixture, stuff the potato skins, top with cheese and bake as directed.
Leftover stuffed potatoes can be store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Before serving, reheat them in the oven (350 degrees F) or microwave until heated through.
What to serve on the side
Serve these potatoes with cooked or raw veggies. Here are a few suggestions…
- A green salad, with tomatoes, cucumber and bell pepper, tossed with Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing.
- Steamed vegetables such as broccoli, green beans or carrots.
- Try a non-leafy salad, such as Apple & Brussels Sprouts Slaw or Mediterranean Cucumber Salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can substitute the ground turkey with plant-based alternatives like black beans, lentils or crumbled tofu for a vegetarian version of stuffed potatoes.
In the first stage of cooking, the potatoes can be cooked in the microwave or the oven. Cook the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Regardless of which method you use, be sure to pierce each potato in several places with a fork before cooking.
Other Easy Dinner Recipes
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and comment underneath the recipe card below. Thank you!
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Twice-Baked Ground Turkey Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 small russet potatoes about 8 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons light cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons nonfat milk
- ½ pound lean ground turkey (93% lean)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese divided
For Serving:
- Sliced green onions
- Salsa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- With a fork, pierce each potato in several places. Microwave until tender when pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes, turning halfway through.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a ¼-inch border and transfer the flesh to a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the cream cheese and skim milk to the bowl with the potato and mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat the skillet with cooking spray. Add the ground turkey and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through.
- Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook until the turkey is cooked through.
- Stir the ground turkey, green onions and ¼ cup cheddar cheese into the potato mixture until combined.
- Place the potato skins on a baking sheet and divide the turkey/potato mixture evenly between the skins. Divide the remaining ¼ cup cheddar cheese between the stuffed potatoes.
- Bake the potatoes until the cheese is melted and the skins are slightly crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Garnish with green onions and serve with salsa.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was first published on October 6, 2014 and updated on March 19, 2024.
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Jenny @ The Peachy Pair
Love one dish meals! Will have to try this out!