Loaded Vegan Jacket Potatoes with Smoky Beans – Quick & Easy!

Sometimes you just need a big plate of comfort food for dinner. Hearty, spicy and smoky, these vegan jacket potatoes with beans really hit the spot on a chilly winter’s evening.

However, baked potatoes can take forever. So in this recipe, I cheat a little and the potatoes are zapped in the microwave for 10 minutes to speed up the process. If you prefer, you can always go the traditional route.

These potatoes are pretty darn filling on their own but could be served with a light salad.

LOADED VEGAN Jacket Potatoes

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 large baking potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced
20g tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-5 grinds of pepper
400g can red kidney beans, drained
200g can refried beans
4-5 drops of Tabasco sauce
50g baby spinach
1 avocado, mashed

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Prick the potato with a fork, wrap it in foil and place it on a baking tray. Bake for 1.5-2 hrs, until flesh softened and skin crisp.

OR

Prick the potato with a fork and place it in a shallow bowl with 2cm water. Microwave for 10 minutes, turning after five. Remove from microwave and bowl and cut diagonal slits about 2-3cm deep on top of the potato. Wrap potato in foil, place on a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, until flesh softened and skin crisp.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan on high heat. Add onions and fry until starting to brown. Add red pepper and tomatoes and stir. Add paprika, chilli, salt and pepper then fry for 3-4 minutes until the peppers start to soften. Add kidney beans, refried beans, and Tabasco and stir until well combined and heated through. Reduce heat to medium-high and stir in spinach until wilted. Remove from heat.

Remove the potato from the oven, deepen the cross and squeeze the base to open the potato, then fill with bean mix and top with avocado.

Enjoy!