Microwave "Baked Potato" for Kids

As part of our NO-COOK series, I definitely wanted to include a Microwave "Baked Potato" for kids. It's simple enough…and I think that most people (including myself) don't realize they can make a baked potato in the microwave. Or they forget they can. Not sure if this can technically be included as "no cook" BUT in my mind, "no cook" really means no oven/stovetop. Sometimes you just gotta be able to nuke your dinner 😜

How to Make a Microwave Baked Potato

All you have to do is clean a potato (scrub the dirt off and pat dry), stab it with a fork about 4 times, plop it in the microwave, and the rest is magic! Lol. I put a regular sized Russet potato in our microwave for 3 ½ minutes. Then, flipped it over to its other side and cooked for another 3 ½ minutes. Of course, this all depends on the strength of your microwave. I'd say ours is about average. Remove the potato very carefully when it's done...it'll be crazy hot. I normally wait 5 minutes or so before cutting it open.

Potato Bar

 

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After cooking the potato, the rest is really your creation. We sort of set up a potato bar for the kids, letting them pick what they wanted and how much. Our bar included: butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. This proved to be a good combo for the kids. My 6 yo even tried the green onions and said he liked them. I was super impressed but who ever knows if that incident will repeat itself?! Lol.

The kids really loved the whole baked potato thing. First, I think they were impressed that it could be done in the microwave. Second, they loved being able to 'make' their own potato. They could pick the toppings they wanted and the amount. Sometimes, kids need a little more agency at dinner time, and it really goes a long way. Third, my kids really dug mashing the potato and making a big ol' potato disaster on their plates! Some kids might like their baked potatoes more intact, but mine liked to just smoosh the heck out of theirs.

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Watch Out

The only things to watch out for is kids wanting to keep adding stuff, especially more salt, butter, cheese, and sour cream. I'm not saying this is a particularly unhealthy meal BUT it is definitely higher in fat than most. So, I had to police the kids a bit around all that fun, fatty sprinkly stuff. Haha. To ease your conscience, serve some veggies on the side. I put some cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber on the side, and it was a welcome, fresh addition. You can choose whatever veggies your kids would like.

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Enjoy and please let us know what your kids think! ❤️