Savory Cheesecake? 

Savory SOUTHWEST Cheesecake! 

I've never made a cheesecake from scratch before much less a SAVORY one but let me tell you! If you want to take taco dip to a whole new level! This is IT! 

Most people go for the Chocolate, Turtle, or NY Cheesecake... too rich for me. I'm hoping it will be a HUGE hit tomorrow! 

I made this tonight for tomorrow's THANKSGIVING feast with family for an appetizer. 

I plan to serve it with tortilla chips! However you COULD serve it with crackers as well. 

I made a mini version for Tony and I thinking well... what if it's not good? There's NO WAY

I'd want to feed it to family if it wasn't tasty! So needless to say we had a tasting session! 

And it was DELICIOUS! 

Just like any other cheesecake this does take some time and a spring form pan is helpful!

(THANKS DIANE FOR LETTING ME BORROW YOURS)

I will be getting my own in the near future, they are amazing!

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 chiles

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) Queso or other "spicy" cheese dip

Garnishes 

(any or all optional)

Seeded Diced Tomatoes

Black Olives

Green Onions

Cheese

Sour Cream

Salsa 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 inch spring-form pan with cooking spray. (I used a 9 inch and a 4 inch pan to make this so it didn't run over!)

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 aside.

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, chiles, 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. Bake 10 more minutes.

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

Take out of the oven and garnish with ingredients of your choosing!