Mexican Baked Potatoes

These Mexican baked potatoes are easy to make and SO satisfying. Baked potatoes are stuffed with a quick lentil-tomato stew and topped with a vegan cheese sauce. Perfect for meal prep and lunches to-go, plus it makes for a fun eye-catching meal for everyone to love.

I know I have a lot of potato fans who will be pleased with this recipe! 

I have heard lots of good things about this mashed potato-filled lentil shepherd's pie and this spinach potato soup, and I think this baked potato recipe will also become a favorite among all potato lovers!

And these loaded potatoes are the ultimate meal for when you are starving and craving comfort food. It is filled with fiber and protein-rich lentils that will make sure you feel full for a while. And the combination of a warm soft potato, savory Mexican-style lentil chili and cheesy queso sauce will surely hit the spot. 

This recipe is also perfect if you love to meal-prep: you can bake the potatoes, make the lentil stew and vegan white queso in advance and layer up when ready to eat. 

It makes for a perfect weekday dinner to plan ahead or fun lunches to bring to work. I also love to serve this meal with the potatoes deconstructed right on the table. 

Everyone can layer and choose the toppings they prefer, which makes it a fun way to serve dinner, especially with kids!

Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️

Why you will love this recipe

• Filling complete meal, but also is great as a delicious side dish
• Very versatile and can be customized to your preference
• High-fiber and packed with plant-based protein (plus, no cholesterol)
• Family-friendly meal, kids love them!
• Combine hearty potatoes, lentil chili with fresh ingredients
• 100% vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free

What you will need 

Don't be impressed by the long list of ingredients! This recipe is super versatile and most ingredients are easy to swap for what you have in the house.

1- Baked potatoes

Look for large Russet potatoes for this recipe as they work well to bake and they usually are bigger, giving you enough room to stuff them.

If you don't have large potatoes, then you can also roast cubed potatoes and pile the toppings over them on a plate.

2- Vegan cheese sauce

Vegan white queso is hands down the BEST vegan cheese sauce you can use for this recipe. We have been addicted for years, you should try it out! It is super easy to make and made healthier too without refined fats and lower in sodium. 

That being said, you can also use a store-bought cheese sauce if that's more convenient, such as the vegan queso sauce from Primal kitchen.

3- Lentil stew

Here are the ingredients you will need to make the lentil stew:

• onion: yellow onion or sweet onion work well.
• bell pepper: I prefer to use red pepper, but green pepper works well for Mexican recipes.
• garlic: add as much as you want! I used 3 cloves to add a lot of flavor.
• baby spinach: optional, but adds nice texture and more nutrients too.
• spices: chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper. Cumin would be great too and feel free to add some cayenne pepper for some heat.
• lentils (canned or dry): I like cooking lentils from scratch as they cook quickly and easily, but if you can find canned lentils, then use this instead, it is so convenient! 
• canned tomatoes: you can choose fire-roasted for more flavor.

4- Toppings

There is a lot of room for what you can use to garnish the baked potatoes with, but here are my favorites:

• fresh cilantro
• hot sauce
• avocado (or vegan avocado crema or protein guacamole)
• sliced green onions, diced red onions or Mexican-style lime pickled red onion
• sliced fresh jalapeno or marinated jalapeño
• finely sliced crunchy romaine
• lime juice

What type of potatoes to use for Mexican potatoes

The best potatoes for baking are the ones that have a lower moisture content and more starch. This creates a light and fluffy texture that's classic and so loved from baked potatoes.

For these reasons, Russet potatoes are the best kind of potatoes for this recipe. That being said, I have made this recipe using Yukon potatoes and even sweet potatoes and it was amazing too. If your potatoes are smaller, then you can cube them to bake (they will cook faster!) and simply layer the other ingredients over, just like nachos.

How to make these Mexican baked potatoes

There are a few steps to this recipe, but they are easy and can be all made at the same time. Start by putting the potatoes in the oven and while they cook, make the cheese sauce and Mexican lentils.

Also, each component can be made ahead, making this recipe an ideal weekend meal prep idea.

Bake the potatoes

This can take up to 1 hour, depending on the size of the potatoes, so start with that (or bake them days ahead).

Preheat the oven to 400º.

Clean them in plenty of cold water, then dry out their peel with a towel. Poke through their peel and flesh with a fork and then, wrap in aluminum foil (optional). 

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until soft and tender about 45-60 minutes.

You can do a poke test after 40-50 minutes to see if they are ready. If not, then add another 10-15 minutes.

Make the vegan white queso

To make this cheese sauce, you will need to cook some extra potatoes (yes, there is potato in the sauce!) and soak some cashews. The sauce is then blended until smooth. 

Make the lentil chili stew

If not already done, then cook the lentils in plenty of water. You can use canned lentils if you can find them so you save that step.

Warm up a large non-stick pan with a little olive oil (or oil spray) and then, cook the onion and peppers for 4-5 minutes on medium-high heat (or until slightly golden browned and soft). 

Add the garlic and spices and cook for one more minute stirring constantly.

Then, add the water, canned tomatoes and cooked lentils and cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until desired consistency. 

Once the stew looks mostly done, then add the spinach and let the leaves wilt, for about 1-2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. 

Serve

Slice the cooked baked potatoes on their top and use a fork to fluff the potato flesh.

Then, add the lentil stew over and top with the vegan white queso. 

Garnish with the fresh toppings of your choice and enjoy!

Recipe variations

This recipe is SO versatile!

• If you have leftover bean chili, then use it in place of the lentil stew! This can be a fun way to serve leftover chili. Or try pairing with this tofu bolognese.
• This vegan taco meat would be great in this recipe.
• If in a rush, then you can use vegan tofu sour cream or even vegan yogurt instead of the vegan queso.
• You can use any type of bean instead of the lentils, like black beans, kidney beans or even white beans.
• Instead of chili powder, you can use taco seasoning!
• Also, you can use other vegetables to make the lentil stew, like chopped carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes or corn.
• If you love smoky flavors, then try topping your filled potatoes with this vegan chipotle sauce instead of the vegan white queso or garnish with some high-in-protein vegan TVP bacon bits.

Storage tips and how to reheat leftovers

Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Each component of the stuffed baked potato will keep better if kept apart from each other.

To reheat the leftovers, I recommend you warm up the potatoes, lentil stew and queso apart, then serve. You can use the microwave or the stove (a mini toaster oven is great to reheat the potatoes). You might have to loosen up the queso with a splash of water before reheating.

Other Mexican recipes you might like

• Mexican Buddha bowl
• Mexican Horchata
• Vegan chipotle mayo
• Vegan white queso sauce
• Peach salsa
• Mexican shell soup
• Vegan white bean chili
• Mexican bean soup
• Chili-lime bean and corn salad
• Mexican pickled onions
• Loaded vegan nachos
• Vegan taquitos
• Mexican black bean avocado toasts

I hope you enjoy these Mexican baked potatoes as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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