Spinach and Feta Loaded Potato is basically a twice-baked potato with twice the flavor. You get creamy potato along with colorful, healthy spinach and the bite of salty feta.
This recipe is a take on the classic Spanakopita. You get the flavors of that amazing savory spinach pie plus the creamy, dreamy, wonderful texture of cheese and baked potato.
Ingredients:
Russet Potato: Russet potatoes are the perfect baking potato and perfect for this recipe. One big potato is a nice amount for two people. You can use a leftover baked potato, and I have also made the recipe many times with a potato that was cooked in the microwave.
Olive Oil: The vegetables are sautéed in olive oil until tender.
Onion: I like red onion for a pop of color, but yellow and white onions are just fine.
Spinach: Chopped and sautéed until wilted and tender. These greens lend flavor, color, and considerable nutrients to the potatoes. I love spinach. 🙂
Garlic: Garlic is a natural with cheese and potatoes.
Oregano: This versatile spice is often found in Italian sauces, but the herb adds a nice flavor to a potato-based dish.
Cream Cheese: Adds perfect, creamy texture.
Salt & Pepper: These are always necessary with potatoes.
Feta Cheese: Ultra flavorful salty feta is perfect with the other flavors.
Instructions:
You will start with your potato. As I stated, this is an excellent use for a large, leftover baked potato. You can also bake one fresh or microwave the potato until tender.
Allow the potato to cool slightly if starting with a freshly baked potato. Carefully slice the potato into two equal halves. Carefully scoop the potato pulp out of the skin and place it in a bowl. Take care not to pierce the skin of the potato as you remove the pulp. (It isn’t the end of the world, you just wouldn’t have the intact potato skin shell.)
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until tender. Sauté garlic, spinach, and oregano until spinach is wilted, 2-3 minutes.
Add the spinach mixture to the potato pulp along with the cream cheese, half the feta cheese, salt, and pepper. Mash using a potato masher or a fork. I personally like the finished filling a little chunky.
Spoon the filling into potato skins. Sprinkle with remaining chunks of feta.
Bake until hot, steamy and the feta is golden brown.
Spinach and Feta loaded potato is excellent with any number of main dishes. Turkey meatloaf or chicken cutlets would be great alongside this tasty side dish.
Spinach & Feta Loaded Potato
Ingredients
- 1 large Russet potato baked and cooled to touch
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 1 cup fresh spinach finely chopped
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 ounce cream cheese
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese divided in half
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, garlic and oregano; cook and stir until the spinach is wilted, abut 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Cut the potato in half and scoop the insides into a bowl. Place the skins on a baking dish or 8×8 inch pan.
- Add cream cheese, pepper, salt and about half the feta to the bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or mash with a potato masher until desired smoothness. I like a little chunky. Stir in the spinach mixture.
- Stuff each potato skin half the filling. Top each with remaining feta.
- Bake until the filling is steaming and the feta is browned, about 30 minutes.