Cheesesteak Cheesecake
A mini savory cheesecake with the flavors of a cheesesteak! I love making savory cheesecakes and serving them as an appetizer at a get together. The idea might seem odd at first, but the flavors work so well! It’s all about the caramelized onions on a good cheesesteak, and this cheesecake version is no different.
The idea for this recipe
I actually first made this in my 3rd cookbook, The Comfort Food Mash-up Cookbook. I was inspired by some other savory cheesecakes I had seen, plus the name cheesesteak cheesecake just rolls off the tongue perfectly! This is the first time I have put this recipe on my website.
Cook the cheesesteak meat
I like to get really thin sliced meat from an Asian grocery store to make cheesesteaks with, so I obviously did the same with these cheesecakes. Typically I go to H-Mart for mine. It is cut that way for hot pot, but it works so well for cheesesteaks! Season it up and toss it on a hot griddle to cook until browned.
Make the cheesecake crust
Toast some bread until it dries out for the crust. You could use store bought panko for this as well but I had a lot of bread around. Blend up the toasted bread, then add butter and blend it some more.
Spread into the springform pans and bake on it’s own for about 20 minutes. This will make for a perfect crust for the cheesesteak cheesecakes!
Make the cheesesteak cheesecake filling
Cream cheese, milk, sour cream, eggs, provolone, american, banana peppers and the meat! Blend it up until you can’t see any egg yolks anymore but there is still chunks of meat.
Put the cheesecake cheesecake filling into the crusts and bake for about 35 minutes until they are no longer jiggley in the center.
Serve the cheesesteak cheesecake
Let the cheesesteak cheesecakes cool for about 2 hours before serving. You could put them into the fridge but I like to just let them cool on the counter and serving. Warm up the onions and pop them on top.
Slice and serve! So tasty! Some extra onions to make sure they are in every bite.
The crust is definitely a bit crumbly but the buttery bread tastes so good with the cheesesteak mixture! The flavor and texture is almost like a boursin style cheese, but loaded with cheesesteak goodness!
Tips and twists on this recipe
If you have never made breadcrumbs before, here is an easy to follow guide.
If this cheesesteak cheesecake makes you love the idea of a savory cheesecake, I have made a bunch! Lasagna cheesecake, crab rangoon cheesecake, everything bagel cheesecake, and this tasty mac and cheesecake!
Cheesesteak Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions sliced thin
- 5 tablespoons butter plus more for the pans
- 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs preferably homemade from sourdough
- 3/4 pound thinly sliced or shaved ribeye steak
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup banana peppers
- 4 ouncees provolone cheese
- 4 ounces american cheese
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Add the onions to a large frying pan over medium heat with two tablespoons of butter. Stir to combine. Season with salt and cook about an hour, adjusting the heat as needed, until deeply caramelized and drastically reduced in size. Set aside covered in the fridge until ready to use.
- Preheat oven too 350
- Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and mix it with the breadcrumbs.
- Prepare 3 mini springform pans with parchment and butter on all sides.
- Split the breadcrumbs into the pans evenly. Press down and around the sides to form a crust.
- Put the pans onto a larger baking sheet and put it into the oven to cook and solidify as a crust, 20 minutes.
- While the crusts bake, make the filling.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet or large frying pan to high heat and add some oil. Add in the steak. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook until all the steak is browned around the edges and cooked through.
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, milk, provolone, american cheese, eggs, banana peppers, and steak to the food processor. Process until smooth.
- pour the cream cheese filling into the mini pans with the crust. Return to the oven to cook for about 30 minutes until cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest 2 hours before serving. Warm up the caramelized onions. Serve the cakes at room temp with warm caramelized onions on top.