I’m not much of a chef.
I love to bake and have been pretty successful in the past with my cookies and baked treats. I even had a small dessert business for a while.
But when it comes to cooking, I’m never going to be a world-class chef. Which is just fine. I just want to be able to make dishes that my family likes.
For my toddler, that means pretty much anything dipped in ranch dressing. Carrots, cauliflower, celery, chicken nuggets, veggie buffalo bites, etc. You give him the choice, he’ll dip it in Ranch.
So in an effort to convince the 3-year-old to eat more foods, I’ve become more creative with my Ranch recipes. Luckily, there are many others who love the taste of Ranch like we do, so there’s no shortage of great recipes and meal ideas that use ranch dressing and dips.
This is one that my son loves that turned out to be a huge hit with the rest of the family too. It’s super easy to make and is really good – Twice-Baked Ranch Potatoes!
Twice-Baked Ranch Potatoes
Ingredients
4 Baking Potatoes
4 oz light Neufchatel Cheese, room temperature
2 Tablespoons Milk
1 cup Shredded Reduced-fat Cheddar Cheese
1 Tablespoon Ranch Dip
Directions
1. Scrub and dry potatoes, then prick several times with a fork. Heat in microwave for 16-18 minutes until tender. Allow to cool.
2. Combine Neufchatel cheese and milk in a bowl, then add Ranch Dip mix and stir in.
3. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise, then scoop out potato leaving only the empty potato skins. Mix potato filling into cheese mixture.
4. Spoon mixture into potato skins then sprinkle lightly with shredded Cheddar cheese.
5. Microwave potatoes two at a time until heated through with cheese melted on top, approximately 3-4 minutes.
Enjoy!
The recipe makes 4 servings, but is easily adjustable for individual servings. While the girls are at school, my son and I usually make 1 serving with a large potato for lunch. We share the Ranch Potato and each have a salad (with Ranch dressing of course!).