This is my twist on a twice-baked potato, Mediterranean style. This Mediterranean potato recipe is so delicious and simple to make! You will love these Mediterranean potatoes because the flavors are out of this world.
I love potatoes, but I like to create different recipes to enjoy potatoes with various flavors and ingredients. Mediterranean potatoes are a spin on a twice-baked potato recipe with some of my favorite ingredients tucked inside a baked potato. This Mediterranean potato recipe is filling, delicious, and easy to make.
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Growing up in a Greek family, I like to create exciting recipes that remind me of my grandma's cooking. Early on, we learned to appreciate fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, hummus, and various flavors inherent in Greek cuisine. So, I combined those flavors in my Mediterranean potatoes.
Mediterranean Potato Ingredients
- Baked Potatoes: I baked my potatoes in the crock pot, my favorite way to bake them. However, feel free to bake them in the oven or microwave them.
- Red Onions: I love the sweetness of red onions, which are often used in Mediterranean cooking.
- Kalamata Olives: Kalamata olives are salty and delicious with the combination of ingredients in this Mediterranean potato recipe.
- Za'atar Seasoning: I buy Za'atar seasoning from Trader Joe's. I love it on everything. If you can't find it at Trader Joe's, don't worry, it's available at the grocery store. Za'atar is generally a combination of dried oregano, thyme, and marjoram (woodsy and floral), with sumac (tangy and acidic) and toasted sesame seeds (nutty and rich).
- Tahini Dressing: Tahini dressing combines tahini, lemon, water, and a little maple syrup for sweetness.
- Grape Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes come in various colors, but what I love most about them is the fact they have fewer seeds and don't water down dishes.
- Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas that I roasted in the oven.
- Baby Bell Peppers: I love the colors and sweetness of baby bell peppers.
- Hummus: I chose Engine oil-free hummus, regular flavored.
Mediterranean Potato Ingredient Substitutions
- Sweet potatoes are a great substitute for baked potatoes. Other great stuffing vessels are bell peppers or portobello mushrooms.
- White or yellow onions substitute red onions in recipes.
- Choose black olives or skip the olives if preferred.
- You can substitute Italian seasoning for the Za'atar seasoning or choose your favorite blend.
- Purchase tahini dressing at the grocery store if you don't want to make your own. Or another option is to use hummus and add a small amount of lemon juice to thin it and use it as the dressing.
- Cherry tomatoes are similar to grape tomatoes.
- If you don't have chickpeas or don't care for them, use white beans instead. Or, serve the chickpeas without roasting them.
- Use red bell peppers instead of baby bell peppers.
- Try vegan, plain unsweetened yogurt instead of hummus.
How to Make Mediterranean Potato Recipe
First, bake the potatoes and wait until they are cool enough to handle. Then, gently scoop the flesh from each potato half using a spoon. Leave about ¼ of the potato to avoid cutting through the potato skins.
Transfer the potato flesh removed from the potato skins into a bowl. Next, add the hummus and half the tahini dressing and blend using a hand mixer until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes.
Then, fold in the baby bell peppers, red onions, and kalamata olives.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins and bake uncovered. On a separate baking sheet, prepared with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, roast the chickpeas sprinkled with the Za'atar seasoning. Cook the potatoes and the chickpeas for 30 minutes.
Remove from the potatoes and chickpeas from the oven, and transfer the potatoes to a serving dish. Add the roasted chickpeas, and raw tomato slices, and drizzle with the remaining tahini dressing.
Serving Suggestions
I served these Mediterranean potatoes with a large salad. Although I only used 2 large baking potatoes, each half of a stuffed potato, as an entree served with a salad, is very filling.
Recipe FAQs
Potatoes arrived in Greece in the 18th century via Spanish Conquistadors in Peru. The most famous potatoes in Greece come from the Cycladic island of Naxos. The island cultivates more than 8 million kilos each year, and it even has a festival.
Potatoes definitely shouldn't be avoided on the Mediterranean diet. Potatoes may seem like a "bad carb" sometimes, but that is untrue. They are a great source of potassium, vitamin C, B6, fiber, and more.
They're rich in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. Potatoes were a life-saving food source in early times because vitamin C prevented scurvy. Another major nutrient in potatoes is potassium, an electrolyte that aids in the workings of our heart, muscles, and nervous system.
Tips
- First, scrub the potatoes to remove any excess dirt or debris. Because the skins of the potatoes are left in tact, you want to ensure the potatoes are clean.
- Before baking the potatoes, use a fork or sharp knife to poke holes in them so they don't explode in the oven while baking.
- If cooking the potatoes in a crock pot, poke holes in the potatoes and wrap them in aluminum foil before placing them in the base of the slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on high.
- Crockpot cooking results in smoother, softer exterior skin.
- For baking in the oven, use aluminum foil. After cleaning, poke holes in the raw potatoes, and place them in a 400-degree oven for 1 hour. I always put a sheet pan on the rack below to catch anything that may drain from the potatoes into the bottom of the oven.
- Wait until the potatoes are cool to the touch before cutting and removing the flesh from the potato skins.
- Do not pierce through the potato skins.
- To reheat leftovers, place them in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes until heated.
Try Mediterranean potatoes filled with hummus and fresh veggies for a delicious alternative to a plain baked potato!
Additional Vegan Recipes to Love
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📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 large baking potatoes baked and cut in half
- ½ cup hummus of choice I used Engine 2 brand
- ½ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup baby bell peppers diced
- ¼ cup kalamata olives chopped
- ½ cup grape tomatoes sliced
Roasted Chickpeas
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained
- 1 Tablespoons Za'atar seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash baked potatoes and poke holes with a fork or sharp knife in a few places outside each potato.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- If baking potatoes in a crock pot, follow the exact directions, but wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil and place them in the base of the crock pot.
- Cook for 4 hours on low.
- In the meantime, prepare the vegetables.
- When the potatoes are done, allow them to cool to the touch before cutting them in half.
- Using a spoon, remove the flesh from the inside of each potato, leaving about ¼ of the potato in the skins. Do not pierce through the skins.
- Transfer the potato flesh into a bowl.
- Prepare the tahini dressing by whisking all the ingredients together; set aside.
- Add the hummus and half of the tahini dressing to the potatoes, and using an electric mixer, blend the hummus into the potatoes.
- Add the diced red onion, baby bell peppers, and chopped kalamata olives.
- Fold the vegetables into the potato mixture.
- Place the empty potato skins onto a baking sheet or into a baking pan.
- Spoon the potato mixture into the potato skins.
- In a separate bowl, toss the chickpeas with the Za'atar seasoning.
- Place the seasoned chickpeas in a single layer on the pan on a separate baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cook the chickpeas and the stuffed potatoes for 30 minutes.
- Remove the chickpeas and cooked potatoes from the oven.
- Transfer to a serving dish.
- Spoon the roasted chickpeas onto the cooked stuffed potatoes, pushing he chickpeas into the top of the potato mixture.
- Add the sliced tomato pieces onto the potatoes.
- Drizzle the potatoes with the remaining tahini dressing.
- Serve with a large green salad.
Notes
- First, scrub the potatoes to remove any excess dirt or debris. Because the skins of the potatoes are left intact, you want to ensure the potatoes are clean.
- Before baking the potatoes, use a fork or sharp knife to poke holes in them, so they don't explode in the oven while baking.
- If cooking the potatoes in a crock pot, poke holes in the potatoes and wrap them in aluminum foil before placing them in the base of the slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on high.
- Crockpot cooking results in smoother, softer exterior skin.
- For baking in the oven, use aluminum foil. After cleaning, poke holes in the raw potatoes, and place them in a 400-degree oven for 1 hour. I always put a sheet pan on the rack below to catch anything that may drain from the potatoes into the bottom of the oven.
- Wait until the potatoes are cool to the touch before cutting and removing the flesh from the potato skins.
- Do not pierce through the potato skins.
- To reheat leftovers, place them in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes until heated.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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