This Canned Food Will Upgrade A Baked Potato Into A Full Meal

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When deciding how to top off a baked potato, you might lean toward butter, shredded cheese, chives, crumbled bacon, or a dollop of caviar. In theory, you can load that spud with nearly anything to make it more filling or otherwise improve the dish. A comforting food you may not have thought about adding will turn your baked potato into a complete meal with minimal effort: a can of chicken pot pie soup.

The spud-enhancing soup in your pantry offers a combination of meat, vegetables, and spices for you to enjoy by the spoonful. That means you only need to open a can and heat its contents to turn the starchy staple on your table into a well-rounded meal. Of course, you could go the extra mile and make everything from scratch (perhaps with our creamy chicken pot pie soup recipe), but sometimes there's no time for that.

After your potato is baked, you could easily just spoon the hot soup over it before serving. Another option is to scoop out some of the baked potato, mix it with the soup, then fill the spud back up. Either way, it'll be so comforting that the family won't even realize how easy it was for you to get it on the table.

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There are other ways to upgrade baked potatoes that you can use in addition to chicken pot pie soup. Consider incorporating roasted garlic, fresh herbs, chicken stock, or some frozen mixed vegetables to bulk the meal up even more. If you have other varieties of canned soup with vegetables but no pot pie option, stir in some leftover rotisserie chicken. Or, simply add your go-to baked potato toppings like shredded cheddar cheese, fresh chives, or sour cream to the soup.

The way you bake your potato could also help or hurt the results. For a spud with a crispy skin, avoid wrapping it in aluminum foil because that will effectively steam it. Butter, salt, and black pepper are still good ideas even with the canned food upgrade. And if you want to take it even further, add the chicken pot pie soup to our simple twice-baked potatoes for an even more elevated complete meal.