Give Your Baked Potato A Pizza-Inspired Makeover For A Hassle-Free Weeknight Dinner

Because pizza is such a beloved dish, there are several ways to incorporate its signature taste into other recipes. For example, you can add a pizza twist to your salads with a pizza-flavored ranch and herbs, or you can add basic pizza toppings to your hamburgers. If you want to satisfy the pizza craving but don't want to venture to the grocery store to pick up a frozen pizza that may or may not taste good, consider giving the classic baked potato a pizza makeover.

Pizza-stuffed baked potatoes are simple to make and perfect for a quick meal. First, start by making a baked potato. It is recommended that you use russet potatoes for this recipe as they are extra starchy and have a low moisture content. They also tend to have a fluffy inside once cooked, with a crispy golden-brown skin. While cooking the baked potato in the oven may be the conventional route, you could also skip the oven and use an air fryer instead without sacrificing flavor. Other people make their baked potatoes in the microwave. Once it is cooked, slice the potato down the center, mash the insides, and stuff with pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings. Much like when making a pizza, you want to sprinkle some cheese over the toppings to keep them in place. Then, pop the potato into your cooking appliance of choice for a few minutes until the cheese is nice and melted.

Given the many toppings available for pizza, there are probably just as many that can be used for a pizza baked potato. Think about the number of different pizza options you can order at restaurants, such as meat lovers, Hawaiian, supreme, and BBQ chicken. For the most classic taste, you may opt to top your baked potato with an herb-filled marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. Or perhaps, you swap the pepperoni for a few flavorful vegetables, such as sliced onion and green bell peppers. Whatever you think of when it comes to pizza, you can top on your baked potato. Potatoes serve as the perfect vessel for the variety of toppings because they have a mild flavor, so it is hard to go wrong when crafting the perfect dish.

Need more inspiration? The options are endless. Consider adding mushrooms, black olives, bacon, sausage, ground beef, pineapple, or tomatoes to the baked potato. You can also take inspiration from a white pizza and top the potato with Alfredo sauce, ricotta cheese, and Parmesan cheese with a drizzle of garlic-infused olive oil. From there, you can even top it with sliced artichoke hearts for a buttery, earthy flavor. Once you have the toppings down, you can focus on how to best enhance the bake of the potato. Try using Alton Brown's foolproof hack for potatoes that calls for coating them in canola oil and kosher salt and baking directly on the rack for the crispiest finish.