Five cheap ways to fill a jacket potato

Jacket potatoes are a great option for lunch or tea. And not just because they’re cheap. They’re really versatile too.

So we’ve put together a few ideas on how you can liven up the humble spud and make your weekly shop go a little bit further.

Beans and cheese

A budget tin of beans costs about 30p, so simply heat it up and spoon it over your jacket potato.

Beans are packed with protein and fibre, so it’s a healthy and satisfying option.

And if you have a bit of cheese in the fridge, maybe some left over that you don’t know what to do with, sprinkle a bit on top.

Leftover chilli or bolognese

If you made chilli or spag bol last night and have a bit left over, don’t let it go to waste.

Instead, just reheat it and spoon it over a hot jacket potato.

And as a final touch, add a dollop of natural yoghurt or some grated cheese.

Tuna and sweetcorn

Just mix a tin of tuna with a bit of natural yoghurt or mayonnaise, then stir through some sweetcorn and add to your potato.

You could liven it up further by adding in some leftover salad vegetables you might have in the fridge, like spring onion or chopped cucumber.

Cheesy leftover vegetables

If you have leftover cooked vegetables hanging around, like carrots and broccoli, just mix them together with a bit of grated cheese, and pile it on to your potato.

It’s a great option if you have veg left over from last week’s Sunday roast and you don’t know what to do with it.

Bubble and squeak potato

If you’ve got leftover mashed potato and vegetables, mix them together and fry until they turn golden and crispy.

You can them spoon it into or over a hot baked potato and top it off with some cheese and mixed herbs.

It might sound like a lot of potato for one meal. 

But it’s ideal if you have leftovers hanging around that you don’t want to go to waste.

Use what you already have in

If you want to liven up a baked potato, remember you don’t need to buy special ingredients.

The whole point is using what you have in creatively, so you can make it different every time and make sure good food doesn’t end up in the bin.

Just look at what you’ve already got before you head to the shops.

You’d be surprised how much money you could end up saving.