Appetizers

Southwestern Cheesecake

photo by:kraft

This savory cheesecake has a tortilla chip crust, is flavored with chilies and a colby cheese blend and is topped with colorful vegetables.

time

prep:

30 min

total:

5 hr

servings

total:

50 servings

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What You Need

cup finely crushed tortilla chips

Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

eggs

pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheeses

can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles, drained

cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

cup chopped yellow or orange pepper

1/2

cup green onion slices

1/3

cup chopped tomatoes

1/4

cup sliced pitted black olives

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 325°F if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (or to 300°F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan). Mix crushed chips and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes; set aside.

BEAT cream cheese and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add shredded cheese and chilies; mix well. Pour over crust.

BAKE 30 minutes or until center is almost set. Spread sour cream over cheesecake. Run small knife or spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Top with remaining ingredients just before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Substitute

Prepare as directed, using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese.

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dimplejj

posted:12/7/2010

quick question? Can this be made in advance

Cabbot2

posted:3/14/2007

I made this a few days ago and I'll be making it again for a St.Patrick's Day party. I did sub Kraft Neufchatel cheese for the cream cheese the first time & will again. I'm also adding more "green" to the top (green bell pepper) and making a shamrock design with all & adding another can of chopped gr. chili's.Instead of the chopped tomatoes on top, I'll be using a drained can of chopped tomatoes with chilies for that extra "pop"! Can't recommend this enough!

amypru7

posted:1/14/2007

It was very strong and only about half of it was eaten with about 30 people, but everyone said it tasted good.

a cook

posted:1/10/2007

Everyone loves this recipe! A nice change from plain old ordinary dips ...

suzieq177

posted:10/30/2006

Everyone that tries it, loves it! I have had several people ask for the recipe or request for me to make it for their party. I found it to be too mild so I made a few adjustments. For the crust I use guacamole flavored corn chips. In the filling I add taco seasoning and diced jalepenos. You could add the taco seasoning to the sour cream layer also. I serve it with tomato basil wheat thins which suprisingly compliments the dish quite well!

a cook

posted:8/28/2006

It was excellent, I have made it several times. My family really likes it when it is warm.

jkcohen1

posted:12/27/2005

It sounded so good. Perhaps it was my presentation but it was basically ignored after a few tastes. The top was messy and it was much milder than expected. How should it have been served? Sliced? With a fork? The ingredients are all favorites so where did I go wrong?

JeanLW

posted:12/22/2005

Everyone loved this recipe when I served it for holiday buffets so I decided to make it for my nephew's wedding reception in Colorado. It was the hit of the appetizer table. I made five cheesecakes for 200 guests. It was served with different salsas from mild to hot, it was all gone by the end of the evening.

zachary1016

posted:4/30/2005

this cheesecake is so good! Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe.. I dont even like cheesecake and I couldnt get enough! however, I did alter it just a little by putting half a packet of taco seasoning into the cc mix

a cook

posted:9/20/2004

This was great and easy to make. Made it for an office food day and it was quickly devoured in a matter of hours. I did a few adjustments to my taste, I added lime and chipolte seasoning to the sour cream topping, gave it a nice flavor. I think next time I make it, I will use jalepenos (just because I like it hot) also used 3 8oz cream cheese and 3 eggs, I work in a very large office I wanted to expand the recipe. Try it you'll like it!!!!