Make Baked Potatoes A Full Meal With This Italian-Inspired, British-Style Topping

Baked potatoes are a classic: starchy, fluffy, comforting, hearty, fiber-packed, and easy to make. It's a shame they're just a side — or are they? As it turns out, there are ways to make your baked potato the star of your meal, which will improve your dinner both in taste and ease. While there are lots of options for delicious baked potato toppings that turn the root vegetable into a meal in and of itself, one of the best and most filling just might be bolognese sauce. 

Bolognese sauce is an Italian staple that's actually a popular choice for baked potatoes in the United Kingdom, where they're called "jacket potatoes." We know what you're thinking: Isn't bolognese sauce for pasta? In theory, yes; but potatoes provide a nice, starchy base, too. You can expect a similar flavor combination: a neutral, slightly buttery, still satisfying foundation fused with savory meat, pleasantly acidic and sweet tomatoes, herbaceous oregano, and spicy pepper and garlic. The bolognese gets an upgrade with this starch swap, and the potato gets its own upgrade courtesy of the mouthwatering meat sauce. Plus, the combo is filling enough to be its own entree.

Best of all, this is an easy meal to make. Just pop your spuds into the oven for an hour or so and while they bake, make your sauce by sauteeing together olive oil, vegetables like onions, your preferred seasonings, ground beef, and then add in tomato puree, red wine, and milk for creaminess, before letting everything simmer. Top the potatoes with the sauce and enjoy.

What's fun is that you can even further elevate and riff on your bolognese baked potato. For starters, think about how many different ways you can tweak this sauce. You can incorporate different meats like salty pancetta, tender steak, or lean ground turkey. You can even make it vegetarian with a plant-based substitute. Various vegetables bring in their own flavors: mushrooms for earthiness and umami, carrots for bright sweetness, celery for green freshness. When making bolognese sauce, you can also really tailor it to your own herb and spice preferences, adding in sage, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, basil, nutmeg, oregano, crushed red pepper, and more. There are all kinds of ingredients that further improve bolognese sauce, from fish sauce to sun-dried tomatoes.

When serving your own take on bolognese baked potatoes, there's also the option to spruce up the final dish. On top, add freshly shaved parmesan cheese, a hunk of fresh mozzarella, or even burrata. Juicy cherry tomatoes and fragrant basil leaves will make the dish feel high end and restaurant worthy. If you're making these for a dinner party, consider setting up a fun little toppings bar for guests where they can select add-ons like those tomatoes and herbs, various grated cheeses, and sauteed vegetables like zucchini. You could also build this meal up even more by serving the bolognese baked potatoes with some simple asparagus or broccolini, as well as savory meatballs or Italian sausage.