Savory Southwest Cheesecake

 

I've never made a savory cheesecake before.

I'm more of a cover-it-in-chocolate-and-whipped-cream cheesecake kind of girl.

I'm happy to say this far exceeded my expectations.

See...I needed to make something fancy schmancy for one of the ladies at the office where I work and she doesn't like sweet stuff.

Crazy..I know.

But, I was determined to come up with something as good as cake or "normal" cheesecake. Or, well...at least asprettyas.

This was pretty. And tasty. And addicting. Once you start eating it you really can't stop.

Oh, just one more bite you will tell yourself...but...it will be a lie.

You will eat and eat and eat until it is aaaaaaaaall gone.

Next time you need a savory treat to take to a party - definitely give this a whirl. People will think you are magic to be able to create such deliciousness.

 

 

Savory Southwest Cheesecake

(Slightly adapted from Someone Left The Cake Out In The Rain)

 

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cups finely crushed tortilla chips (with a hint of lime)

1/4 cup butter, melted

 

Cheesecake

1 cup cottage cheese

3 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

3 cups aged cheddar, shredded

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chillies

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt & pepper

4 eggs

 

Topping

1 container (8 oz) sour cream

1 container (8 oz) jalapeno cheddar cheese dip

 

Decorations

seeded, chopped tomato

green onions, chopped

aged cheddar, shredded

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray. (I used a 7 inch and a 4 inch pan to make this)

Combine crushed tortilla chips and butter. Press firmly into bottom of prepared pan (or pans).

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Remove from heat after 12 minutes and set on wire rack.

Meanwhile, place cottage cheese in magic bullet or blender and process until smooth.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cottage cheese, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chillies, garlic, tomato paste, and spices.

When well combined, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Pour over crust in prepared pan (or pans).

Bake 60 minutes.

Combine sour cream and jalapeno cheddar cheese dip until smooth. Spread mixture over hot cheesecake and return to oven. (NOTE ** - I only ended up using about 3/4 of the topping as my cheesecake rose so high I was worried about the topping just running right off. We ate the rest of the topping as chip dip so it didn't go to waste!) Bake 10 more minutes.

Turn off oven, crack open door and let cheesecakes cool in the oven until completely cool.

 

 

Run a knife along the side of the pan (or pans) to help loosen the cheesecake. Remove outer ring.

Place on serving platter.

Garnish with tomato, onions, and shredded cheese. (Other options would be black olives, chopped avocado, fresh cilantro, salsa)

 

 

We really enjoyed this served cold/room temp but you can also serve this warm.

We had it with tortilla chips but crackers would work in a pinch too.

Here is the birthday girl enjoying her treat.

 

 

Aaaaand...just for good measure...another photo of the cheesecake in case you have already forgotten how delicious it looked.

 

 

Be sure to visit Adorned From Above and Hungry Little Girl and Blissful and Domestic for some great links.