Mini Vegetarian Potato Skins

This is one of my favorite recipes! I can’t wait for you guys to try these! They are the BEST!!!! And sooooo easy to make! I make them all the time and people always gobble them up!

So here they are! My favorite mini vegetarian potato skins! These little guys require either an oven (for a crispy and delicious finish) or a microwave for an even quicker version.

Here’s what you will need:

• One bag of medium white potatoes
• 2-3 Limes (based on your preference of zesty-ness)
• 1 package of pico de gallo
• 3-4 avocados
• shredded mexican cheese (you can leave this out if you want to make it vegan!)
• 1/2 of a red onion
• cilantro
• black beans (I forgot to add these in my first photo, but they are delicious!)
• salt to taste
• olive oil or vegetable oil to coat your pan

Total Prep Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes, can be eaten right away! (modified version will take about 35-40 minutes)

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the potatoes thoroughly and lightly coat them in olive oil. Place them on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Once the oven reaches the desired temperature, place the cookie sheet inside and set a timer for 30 minutes. Once they are cooked, they should be crisp on the outside and your fork should slide into them easily. If you know your oven cooks a bit slower or quicker, you may want to adjust the baking time. Potatoes vary depending on size, so if you feel that the fork is not sliding into them smoothly, try popping them in for another 5 minutes.

** for a faster version: If you are on a time crunch, you can pop these in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes instead! Make sure to use a sharp knife (or fork) and pierce each potato in a few spots before putting them in the microwave. The timing will be based on the size of your potato. You will still want the fork to slide into them easily once they are done. You will still need to use the oven for another step, so make sure to still preheat it to 400 degrees **

While the potatoes are baking in the oven, you can use this time to prep the rest of the ingredients. The filler in these potatoes is basically a modified guacamole, yum!! In a bowl, mash your avocados together using a fork. Depending on the size of your avocados, you may want to use 2 or 3. On a cutting board, chop up half of a red onion and a handful of cilantro. You will want these to be pretty fine.

Pour this mixture into the bowl with the mashed avocado. Next, juice 1 lime and pour all of it into the bowl and add a pinch of salt. Stir it up! This is where my favorite part begins, taste testing! Try out your guac and see if you think it might need a little more lime or salt! I like mine flavorful and zesty, so I usually will do one or two limes!

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If you decide that you want to add black beans (highly recommend) this is the time to add them! You will want to drain the can of beans and remove the water. The amount of beans is up to your preference, but I added half of a can to my batch! Mix it all up again.

At this time, you should be at right about the 30 minute mark. Time to take those potatoes out of the oven! You will want to let them cool for about 10 minutes. Next, you will cut them in half, and using a spoon you will scoop out the inside of each potato. Once they are hallow, sprinkle some shredded Mexican cheese inside each one! I added cheese to half of mine, so that Kevin could eat some too, an easy vegan alternative.

Pop those back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. This will depend on the size of your potato, so make sure to keep an eye on them.

Finally, once they are done, let them sit for another 10 minutes to cool down. Fill each potato with your guac + bean mixture. Top them with the pico de gallo, and tah dah! You have yourself a super simple, delicious appetizer!

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I hope that you love this recipe as much as I do! Let me know if you try it out! Would love to see photos of your pretty potato skins! What are your favorite easy recipes? I’d love to hear them below!