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Basil Pesto Cheesecake

December 20, 2010

After two weeks of testing what seemed like an endless number of mouthwatering ideas from our holiday recipe contest and being in the impossible position of having to narrow them down to the five best (you submitted so many incredible recipes, it makes me sad we can't recognize more), I finally get to announce the winners! In the final selection, I took many different criteria into consideration. Most important was taste, but a recipe that I believe will be appealing to eaters both young and old was also high on my list. The five recipes I'm going to announce over the course of this week passed the tests with flying colors. So, with no further ado, today's winner is....

Tanya Warburton came in 5th place for her unbelievably delicious Basil Pesto Cheesecake, which both of my kids (and my husband) devoured! Tanya, I hope you and your family will enjoy your prize, a Laptop Lunches Lunchbox. Congratulations, Tanya!

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Basil Pesto Cheesecake  (Serves 12)

  • Prep Time:2 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes,
  • Total Time: 47 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs or panko
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup cup basil pesto
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup or 1- 8oz block cream cheese, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. 2. Brush a 6-inch spring form pan, 8×8-baking dish, or pie pan with 1 tbsp of melted butter.
  3. 3. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and coat the buttered dish with the mixture.
  4. 4. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until smooth and pour into the dish.
  5. 5. Bake for 45-55 minutes until the center is set.
  6. 6. Allow to cool before cutting and/or releasing cheesecake from the spring form.
  7. 7. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve with sliced baguette or crackers.
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Comments






  1. Michelle

    January 8, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    Reply

    Definitely THE most delicious recipe I have ever made! I learned about Weelicious at MOPS and they asked me to make it for breakfast next week for the group!

  2. Kathryn

    December 22, 2010 at 2:00 pm

    Reply

    What an awesome recipe. I am super bummed that I don’t have a springform pan so I can’t try it myself. Congrats, Tanya! :D

    • catherine

      December 22, 2010 at 4:40 pm

      Reply

      you can use a pie dish too!! :)

  3. Home Energy Consultant and Inspection

    December 21, 2010 at 7:49 am

    Reply

    Wow!! Sounds very tasty. I’ll definitely try this.

  4. TanyaW

    December 21, 2010 at 1:28 am

    Reply

    I’ve made it with both fresh and store bought pesto. I usually serve it as an appetizer and it actually freezes pretty well too.

  5. Lisa

    December 20, 2010 at 6:55 pm

    Reply

    I think it’s supposed to be an appetizer, like to take to a Christmas party or other gathering. Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.

  6. Holly N.

    December 20, 2010 at 11:31 am

    Reply

    What else would you serve with this? Is it a side dish? Sounds super yummy and fairly easy. :) Thanks for sharing!

  7. retro sweets

    December 20, 2010 at 4:09 am

    Reply

    Yeah, my basils are all dried up for winter so I’m going to make this yummy cheesecake I harvest fresh ones. Continue posting great recipes! :)

  8. Abby

    December 20, 2010 at 2:35 am

    Reply

    Sounds great, and not sweet! I would add some frozen spinach!

  9. Tara

    December 20, 2010 at 2:26 am

    Reply

    Sounds interesting! Did you make your own pesto or buy it (seeing as it is winter and basil is not as easy to find)…

    • catherine

      December 21, 2010 at 5:23 pm

      Reply

      I actually bought it :) Since we ran out of the fresh made one.

    • catherine

      December 20, 2010 at 2:31 pm

      Reply

      I bought the pesto, but you could also use the weelicious recipe for basil pesto!


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