This Month's Freezer Meal: Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Potatoes

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This month’s freezer meal is a good one, a side dish that takes forever to make if you are making it up THAT night… one that goes well with steak, pork chops and even pasta! Today I am going to show you how to make up 16 bacon and cheese stuffed potatoes that you can freeze and then bake in 30 minutes for future meals! You can also pull these out of the freezer and enjoy with a soup or salad.

Bake-potatoes
I bought a bag of potatoes, washed the potatoes and then baked them in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for a little over an hour or until done. Yes, I do realize I need a new oven pan… this one is very sad looking… but, it has been with me since I moved out on my own in 2001! Wow… that is a really long time. I really do need to invest in some better kitchen pans.

Cut-potatoes-in-half
Cut the potatoes in half length wise

Empty-potatoes
With a spoon, scoop out the insides and place in a bowl, leaving a little potato around the edges to keep it intact. Leave the skins on the baking tray.

Potatoes-scrapped-and-bowl
In the bowl, mash the potato pulp (I leave it a little chunky, but you can mash it smooth) and then add sour cream, butter, shredded cheddar cheese (don’t forget to save 1/2 cup to sprinkle on tops of the potatoes at end), salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix all of the ingredients together.

Mixture-in-Bowl
I usually buy microwave bacon (it’s in a box) and it takes 45 seconds to nuke 8 pieces of bacon. Quick and easy… and the bacon is nice and crispy! Make your bacon and break it in pieces and stir it into the potato mixture.

Stuff-potato_without-cheese
Take the potato mixture and spoon it into the empty potato shells until they are all equally full.

Stuff-potato_tons
Sprinkle a little cheese on top of each potato

Stuff-potato_close-up
I have to admit, they look pretty good even uncooked!

Freezer-Bag
Wrap up each potato individually in a piece of foil or you could bundle them into a Tupperware storage container (make sure it seals well) and then when you are ready to bake them, put them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. It is that easy!

Cooked
And, this is what your bacon and cheese stuffed potato looks like after it has been baked. DELISH!

Make-Ahead Twice-Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:
8 baking potatoes rinsed
8 slices of bacon
1 cup sour cream
4 Tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided: (1/2 cup reserved for topping the potatoes off)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:
1. Wash your potatoes and then bake them in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour or until done.
2. Cut the potatoes in half length wise3. With a spoon, scoop out the insides and place in a bowl, leaving a little potato around the edges to keep it intact. Leave the skins on the baking tray.
4. In the bowl, mash the potato pulp (I leave it a little chunky, but you can mash it smooth) and then add sour cream, butter, shredded cheddar cheese (don’t forget to save 1/2 cup to sprinkle on tops of the potatoes at end), salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix all of the ingredients together.
5. I usually buy microwave bacon (it’s in a box) and it takes 45 seconds to nuke 8 pieces of bacon. Quick and easy… and the bacon is nice and crispy! Make your bacon and break it in pieces and stir it into the potato mixture.
6. Take the potato mixture and spoon it into the empty potato shells until they are all equally full.
7. Sprinkle a little cheese on top of each potato
8. Wrap up each potato individually in a piece of foil or you could bundle them into a Tupperware storage container (make sure it seals well) and then when you are ready to bake them, put them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. It is that easy!