Turn Your Next Texas Roadhouse Baked Potato Into A Full Saucy Meal With This Menu Hack

Texas Roadhouse has a pretty big menu, but one of the many things to know before eating there is that, if you're willing to get a little creative, you can make a totally new dish just using what the restaurant already offers on the menu. A baked potato is one of many sides you can order, but to build an even heartier, loaded version, you'll actually want to order the pulled pork entree. (Oh, and you can do this with chili, too!)

Costing $15.99, depending on the location, the pulled pork dinner is pretty simple: a heaping pile of pulled pork served with fresh bread and two sides. Make one of those sides a baked potato, then cut the potato open, stuff it with the pulled pork, and suddenly you've turned one dish into another. And since the dinner comes with two sides, you can actually order two baked potatoes and split this meal with someone, which makes for an affordable night out that will still leave you feeling full. To make it extra saucy, add a side of barbecue sauce at no additional cost. If you don't want to order two baked potatoes, there are a few other options for a second side that can make this pork-loaded spud even more delicious.

The basic version of this menu hack combines pulled pork and a baked potato, but Texas Roadhouse offers a handful of other items that can take this to the next level. If you're splitting this meal, consider ordering an extra side or two for a seriously filling dinner. Or, if you're dining alone and taking advantage of both the entree's sides, make mac and cheese your second one for an extra $1. Then, either load the mac and cheese on top of the potato with the pulled pork, or eat it on the side and drizzle a little extra barbecue sauce over both the pork and the pasta. A side of seasoned rice would work well as an add-on, too.

For something a little lighter, get Texas Roadhouse's sauteed onions as your second side to pile high onto the pork-loaded potato. They're slightly sweet and a little acidic, which will pair well with the rich pork and starchy potato. The steakhouse also offers sides of sauteed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, green beans, and Texas red chili if those strike your fancy. 

And believe it or not, you can get just about anything "loaded" at Texas Roadhouse. So, if you want the potato flavor but don't love the idea of a baked potato, choose steak fries instead and build a similar loaded french fry dish with pulled pork and your choice of sides.