Baked Potato Pizza

Have you ever thought of combining the ingredients of a baked potato with a pizza?  I sure hadn't.  Not until I stumbled upon this recipe.  You just never know what new combination and set of flavors are out there waiting for you to try! 

The version I found, however, used instant potatoes and no tomato sauce.  I didn't like that notion at all.  So I changed it up to make it fit my particular taste buds.  I really liked the end result.  My husband thought it was "Eh, okay."  But I brought it to a Valentine's day party with a group of friends and they all loved it.  Several asked me for the recipe.  So here it is!  I strongly encourage you to try it.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how delicious this is.






Mandy's Baked Potato Pizza
(Makes 8 slices)

1 pizza crust (I made my own using my bread machine)
1 and 1/2 cups of pizza or tomato sauce (I use half a jar of all natural Ragu or whatever I have on hand in my pantry from the last grocery sale and stockpile)
4 small to medium red potatoes - boiled, peeled and smashed (not quite mashed)
2 tbsp light butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning
dash of salt and pepper
3 oz of real bacon bits (I buy the small bags of it already cut up, also on sale at grocery)
1 bunch (about 1/3 cup) of green onions, diced
1 and 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, reduced fat cheddar and mozzerella variety


Make your own pizza crust or use a store bought, ready made kind.  (Note: I've done both.  There's no shame in that!)  Follow the instructions for pre-cooking or baking for several minutes.  Let the crust cool.  Spoon the pizza or tomato sauce over the crust.  Sprinkle with half the onion powder, garlic powder and oregano/Italian seasoning.  Set aside. 


Boil your four red potatoes in a medium size pot on the stove.  Potatoes should be completely covered by water.  They are done when you can smoothly insert a fork or knife into them.  Remove from heat and place in a colander in the sink.  Run cool water over them until they are easy to handle.  Peel pototoes then place in a large bowl.  Smash (or mash) them down into smooth but tiny chunks, like this (pictured below): 





If you want your potatoes creamy (like mashed potatoes), then you could probably put it in a food processor and liquify them.  I, however, wanted something to bite into on my pizza.  Add in the milk, butter and remaining seasonings - onion powder, garlic powder and oregano/Italian mix.  Stir well.  Taste.  If needed, add in a dash of salt and pepper. 

Spread the smashed, seasoned potato evenly over your pizza crust, on top of the tomato sauce.  It should look like this:






Sprinkle bacon bits, green onions and shredded cheese evenly over the potato.  I don't know about you but this is my favorite part - topping the pizza and covering it with lots of cheese!  :-)

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Let it cool before slicing. 







You can even freeze this pizza and enjoy it again later.  It's very filling, just like any typical pizza or baked potato.   Enjoy!


What's the weirdest or strangest combination pizza you've ever eaten?  Until this one, I've had shrimp and crabmeat pizza, sloppy joe pizza with corn in it, muffuletta pizza, and taco pizza.  I wonder what I'll come up with or stumble upon next!  :-)