Upgrade Baked Potatoes Instantly For Under $2 With This Canned Ingredient

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Baked potatoes are some of the easiest, cheapest dishes one can make. A single spud usually costs less than $1, and a baked potato takes fewer than 10 minutes to cook fully when microwaved. It's also one of the easiest dishes to customize with vegetables, spices, or meaty additions for bigger flavors. If you're looking to keep your baked potatoes cheap but want a luxurious upgrade, look no further than Campbell's Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup, which only costs less than $2.

The easiest way to incorporate this ingredient is to simply heat and pour the soup over an open baked potato. This way works like a cheese sauce topping. Another popular option, however, is to turn your spuds into cheesy twice-baked potatoes. Luckily, this only takes a few steps. 

After baking your potatoes as usual, cut them in half and scoop the insides out, placing the fluffy interiors into a bowl. Mash the potato filling in the bowl with shredded cheese and a can of cheddar cheese soup. Do not dilute the soup by adding milk or water. Stir and mash until it's well combined, then spoon the mixture back into the hollowed-out potato skins. Bake until the tops turn crispy and golden brown. Cool for five minutes and serve warm for a soft, gooey, ultra-deluxe twice-baked potato.

The underrated canned soup is one you need to try for its great texture. Even when heated, it remains saucy and thick enough, similar to Cheez Whiz. When made into a twice-baked potato, it blends well with the potato filling to create a creamy, soft mouthfeel. The soup adds saltiness and gets umami flavor from the real cheddar cheese it contains. A can of Campbell's saves you the work of making your own cheese sauce from scratch.

It's easy to enhance, too. You can include other tasty toppings, such as classics like bacon, or add ingredients that can boost the umami and savory notes. Adding cut broccoli to twice-baked potatoes incorporates healthy veggies without giving up flavor. Some sour cream will give spuds a slightly tart dairy note and silky texture. Adding cut onions or garlic offers a sharp bite, and hot sauce provides a pleasing kick if you like your potatoes spicy. 

Best of all, these extra additions usually cost only a dollar or two themselves. In particular, the onions and garlic tend to have a price tag even lower than a buck. All this means that you still end up with a decadent but inexpensive and easy loaded baked potato if you just start with a can of cheese soup.