This delicious, 'cheesy' Vegan Twice-Baked Potatoes recipe is so much healthier that traditional twice-baked potatoes! It's dairy-free, oil-free, gluten-free--without processed ingredients.
Scrub the potatoes clean. For a crispy, lightly salted skin, rub the potatoes with a small amount of water and course sea salt before baking. See notes.
Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack, and bake for 1 hour, or until tender. (Or if you prefer, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.)
In a food processor, combine the cannellini beans, garlic and lemon juice. Process until smooth and creamy.
In a large mixing bowl, add the cheese sauce, pureed cannellini beans, non-dairy milk, ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika. Stir to combine.
When the potatoes are finished, remove them from the oven, and lower the heat to 350 degrees F. (Test them by poking a fork along one side where you'll cut them in half. It will insert easily if the potatoes are done.) Allow them to cool for a few minutes so they're easier to handle.
Cut each potato in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the potato flesh, leaving about ⅛" to ¼" of potato with the skin to make a shell. (See recipe notes for detailed tips). Set the potato shells aside on a baking sheet.
For perfectly smooth potatoes, I like to use a potato ricer. (Or, gently mash them in a medium mixing bow with a potato masher.) Add the riced/mashed potatoes and ½ of the green onions to the large mixing bowl with other ingredients. Stir well until everything is combined, but don't over mix. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Fill the potato shells with the mixture until heaping full. Spread the potatoes out evenly on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Garnish with smoked paprika and the remaining diced green onion.
Notes
Make the skins crisp. After scrubbing the potatoes, I like to leave them moist, and sprinkle them with a small amount of course salt. This helps keep the skins crisp while baking, which produces a firmer shell. It's not 100% necessary if you're restricting your sodium, but will produce the best result. To make the potato shells. Place one potato at a time on a cutting board and grasp with an oven mitt or clean kitchen towel if still very hot. With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. (You may need to poke the sharp end of your knife into the potato to get started. You want a nice, clean cut.) With a soup spoon, scoop out the insides of each potato half into a mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small layer of potato next to the skin for support (see photo).For extra cheesy potatoes. If you made the full Easiest Cheese Sauce recipe, you can spoon extra sauce on top of each potato before adding the smoked paprika and onions. Extra sauce is especially good when re-heating leftovers.For a nut free/lower fat cheese sauce. Substitute my chickpea cheese sauce.For a cheddar cheese flavor. Substitute or my vegan cheddar cheese sauce.To reheat leftovers.
In the oven. For best results, reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until hot. I like to bring them to room temperature first to minimize the reheating time, which helps keep them from drying out. Dolloping a little extra cheese sauce on top also helps keep them moist.
In the microwave. Cover with damp (not wet) paper towel and microwave on high 2-3 minutes. Add a little more cheese sauce if they've dried out.
From frozen. For best results, thaw completely in the refrigerator before re-heating, then use one of the methods above. If heating without thawing, you'll need to cook at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes to one hour. Again, I'd recommend adding a little more cheese sauce (in the last 15 minutes of cooking) to moisten.