Southwestern Cheesecake

pines506's Note:

This is great appetizer cheesecake. Feeds a bunch. Serve it with tortilla chips and celery sticks. Cook time includes chill time.

• Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
• 2 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded colby-monterey jack cheese
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chopped yellow bell peppers or 1 cup orange bell peppers or 1 cup red bell pepper (or a combo of all 3)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/3 cup chopped tomato

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Stir together chips and margarine and press into a 9-inch springform pan.
3. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Beatg cream cheese and eggs in large bowl at medium speed until well blended.
5. Stir in the co-jack cheese and the chilis and pour over crust.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.
7. Cool completely.
8. Spread sour cream over cheese cake and sprinkle on toppings.
9. Chill 1-2 hours.
10. Remove from cake pan after chilling.
11. Let sit out to"soften" a little or you'll break your tortilla chips!
12. before serving.
13. Serve on platter surrounded by tortilla chips and celery sticks.

Reviews

[number_8]

Rave reviews from family & friends. I find it makes way more than 8-10 servings. Maybe 16-20+. You can cut way back on the fat using 1/3 less fat cream cheese, or 8oz 1/3 less fat + 8 oz fat free cream cheese. That plus low fat cream cheese still tastes awesome! I get requests for it all the time.

[Mom of twin girls]

This is outstanding. I made this appetizer for a progressive dinner type thing and everyone raved about it! I think the heat needs to be increased to 350 when you bake the cheese cake mixture. I am a cheese cake Connoisseur and felt it was not quite set.

[ovendiva]

This is a great appetizer. It can be made ahead of time and it feeds a lot of people. I have used it several times for dinner parties and for pot-luck events and it is always a hit.
For those that want a spicier product, add several drops of hot sauce to the cream cheese mix before baking.