Whether you're feeding a crowd, meal prepping in a hurry or eating a mostly potato diet for healthy weight loss, this recipe should be in your rotation. These baked potato halves are easy, tasty and perfect to grab and go! Make these taters in the oven or air fryer.
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At 350 calories per pound and the #1 most satiating food in the world, potatoes are comforting, filling and powerful for plant-based weight loss on a high carb, low fat diet. We ate a lot of these during our 10-day potato challenge.
They are also easy to batch cook and meal prep ahead of time. If you have healthy food ready to go at home, you'll save money and time throughout the week and be less likely to get take-out.
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🧄 Ingredient notes
For this oven baked potato halves recipe, you'll need:
- gold potatoes (you can also use russet potatoes or white potatoes, but gold is best for this since they retain their moisture best)
- seasoned salt, garlic salt or your favorite no-salt seasoning
🔪 Instructions
Please see the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are some photos of the process.
Step 1: Arrange washed and cut potatoes, cut-side up on a baking tray, in a single layer.
Step 2: Sprinkle seasoned salt, garlic salt or other spices (see below for suggestions) on cut side of potatoes only. Bake at 425 F (or 400 F for fan/convection/air fryer) for 30-50 minutes, until fork tender.
Here's what they look like all done! Check out my serving suggestions below.
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
These easy baked potato halves are perfect if you're following any of the following diets:
- The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall
- Mary's Mini
- Potato Diet
- Potato Reset
- SpudFit Challenge
- Plant-based, vegan
- High carb, low fat
- Eat more, weigh less
- Lean with Plants
Batch cook these and you'll always have a low-fat, low-calorie starch ready to go for your 50/50 plate or as purse potatoes! If you know, you KNOW how important it is to take food with you when you go out.
To serve these baked potato halves as a meal, consider serving them with condiments like ketchup, BBQ sauce (my favorite), mustard, mango chutney or salsa.
Here's a few examples of complete meals I put together using these prepped potato halves. Batch cooking is my secret weapon for always having something to make in the fridge!
You can also use steamed potatoes to make these bowls! Check out my other batch cooking potato recipe for Instant Pot steamed potatoes - these work best with russet potatoes, which are cheaper than gold potatoes, usually. So, that's a win!
🔄 Variations
- Switch up seasoning. Instead of seasoned salt or garlic salt, try one of these:
- granulated garlic or garlic powder
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
- dried dill
- dried parsley
- ground cumin
- taco seasoning
- Kirkland no-salt seasoning
- Mrs. Dash no-salt seasoning
- Everything bagel seasoning
- Use small potatoes
- prepare the same way, reduce the cooking time and they'll be perfect 2 bite snacks or appetizers
- Top with salsa, pico de gallo and lettuce for potato "nachos"
- Top medium potato halves with tomato, pickle and lettuce for open-faced potato "sandwiches"
💭 Tips
Don't peel these potatoes. Keep the potato skin on, it keeps them from sticking to the baking tray and keeps the potatoes together.
Use these potatoes for any recipe that needs cooked potatoes, like tofu scramble, hash, taco filling or curry. Remember, they're already salted, so don't add extra salt to the recipe before tasting it after adding the potatoes.
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you love this easy batch cook potato recipe, check out these other healthy potato recipes for weight loss.
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📖 Recipe
Baked Potato Halves (easiest meal prep idea)
Equipment
- Half sheet pan or cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mat to line sheet pan
- Air Fryer oven is preferred, since we're cooking a large batch for meal prep
Ingredients
- 5 pounds gold potatoes about 2.5 kg or 12 medium potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in half lengthwise
- 1 ½ teaspoon seasoned salt or garlic salt, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. If using a fan/convection oven or air fryer, preheat to 400°F. If using an air fryer, you may need to cook in batches or prepare fewer potatoes.
- Arrange cut potato halves in a single layer on baking tray, with the cut side facing up.
- Lightly sprinkle the cut side with seasoned salt or garlic salt.
- Bake for 30-50 minutes, until fork tender. The baking time varies based on how big your potatoes are and the type of appliance you're using. So, check them by poking them with a fork starting at the 30 minute mark. If the fork goes in easily, they're done!
- Serve with ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard as condiments. For a simple, easy meal, pair a few of these with steamed broccoli or a salad. Filling and low in calories!
- Allow potatoes to cool on the counter before storing in the refrigerator.
Iman says
Great recipe. What’s the best way to reheat these once frozen?
Abi Cowell says
I have not frozen these baked potato halves, so I can't suggest with confidence the best way to reheat them, unfortunately.