Pinterest is a lot of things.
First, it’s dumb and confusing.
Then, it’s awesome and addictive.
Finally, it’s a source of ideas, inspiration and frequent exclamations of “oh, cool!” and “why didn’t I think of that?!”.
Sometimes those exclamations are for seemingly silly things. Like this:
A picture of potatoes in a Crockpot. Baked potatoes in a slow cooker? Who knew? Well of course I had to try it. Having a hot oven on for an hour at the end of August is just ridiculous for two wimpy baked potatoes.
So washed, dried, rubbed in olive oil and salt, and wrapped in foil, into the slow cooker they go. I’m impatient, so I cranked it up to high and crossed my fingers they’d be done in 4 hours. Six or so hours on low is probably the right way to do it.
While I waited for the potatoes to cook, I took advantage of my no-need-to-watch cooking method and settled down to catch up on a little work. And because it was Sunday, I opted to do it in front of the tv- a rare occurrence.
And look what I happened to turn on:
The LA Kings episode of Cupcake Wars- the one featuring Mission Minis, who you may recognize from last year’s Foodbuzz Festival. I finally saw it! {Although I turned it on late, so I didn’t see if any Foodbuzz footage actually made the cut. Anybody know?} I won’t ruin the outcome for you. 
Well, look at that. Baked potatoes without a hot oven. A cool trick {no pun intended}, although I can barely plan an hour in advance for dinner, let alone 6.
Baked potatoes alone do not a meal make, so while I was waiting for the potatoes to finish up their magical baking process, I whipped up some chili.
Of course, having a hot pot of chili boiling on the stove isn’t so conducive to summer either, so I went with a quick-cooking cheater’s chili: smashed chili beans.
Top baked potatoes with chili and any other toppings of choice, like salsa, hot sauce, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro or jalapenos.
Now that’s a one dish meal.
Crockpot Baked Potatoes with Smashed Chili Beans
Ingredients
For the Potatoes
- 2-4 Idaho potatoes
- olive oil
- salt
For the Chili Beans
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- sprinkle red pepper flakes
- splash Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can dark red kidney beans
- Optional: shredded cheddar cheese {if not making vegan}
Instructions
For the Crockpot Potatoes
Wash & dry potatoes.
Rub with olive oil & salt.
Wrap in foil & place in slow cooker.
Cook on low for ~6 hours {or high for 4 hrs}.
For the Chili Beans
Saute onion until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add in green pepper and garlic. Cook about 2 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and water. Mix well.
Add in spices and kidney beans.
Using spatula, gently mash some of the kidney beans, leaving some whole.
Simmer over low heat until chili thickens or until ready to serve.
Top baked potatoes with chili and any other toppings of choice, like salsa, hot sauce, cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro or jalapenos.
What’s your favorite baked potato topping? Mine used to be ketchup and ranch. {Baked potatoes: the secret to stretching out a college meal plan.}
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