This loaded vegan baked potato is the only dinner I want to eat when life feels impossibly hard

There's something deeply primal about a baked potato. It's the food equivalent of sweatpants: zero judgment, maximum comfort, exactly what you need when you can't deal with anything complicated.

When my day has been a series of small disasters or I'm just emotionally tapped out, I don't want to chop seventeen ingredients or follow a recipe that requires "constant stirring." I want to stab a potato, throw it in the oven, and emerge an hour later to something warm and forgiving.

This loaded version takes that reliable comfort and turns it into an actual meal. We're talking crispy skin, fluffy interior, and toppings that feel indulgent without requiring you to be a functional human. It's the dinner that meets you where you are.

Ingredients

• 4 large russet potatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cashew cream (blend 1 cup raw cashews with 3/4 cup water until smooth)
• 2 cups broccoli florets, steamed
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup vegan butter
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup vegan bacon bits or coconut bacon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: hot sauce, chives, vegan sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Scrub the potatoes, poke them several times with a fork, and rub with a bit of oil and salt.
2. Place potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake for 50-60 minutes until the skin is crispy and a fork slides through easily.
3. While potatoes bake, warm the black beans in a small pot with a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Steam your broccoli until tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes.
5. Make the cheese sauce by mixing cashew cream with nutritional yeast, a tablespoon of vegan butter, salt, and pepper. Warm gently if desired.
6. When potatoes are done, slice them open lengthwise and fluff the insides with a fork. Add a pat of vegan butter to each.
7. Load each potato with black beans, broccoli, a generous drizzle of cheese sauce, green onions, and bacon bits.
8. Add any optional toppings you're craving and eat immediately while it's still steaming.

Tips and Variations

If you don't have cashews or they stress you out, use store-bought vegan cheese sauce or even just melt some vegan shredded cheese over everything.

The point is comfort, not perfection. You can also swap the black beans for chickpeas or white beans, whatever's in your pantry. Leftover chili works incredibly well here too.

For the broccoli haters among us, try roasted cherry tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, or even just a pile of fresh spinach that wilts from the potato heat. The formula is: starch plus protein plus vegetables plus something creamy plus something crunchy. Follow that and you can't go wrong.

Make the cashew cream ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to five days. Future exhausted you will be grateful.