Mini Savory Cheesecake Appetizer that’s so versatile you can serve it not only as an appetizer, but in a salad, a sandwich, or on a piece of toast, either warm or cold… the possibilities are endless!
I wanted to call this mini savory cheesecake appetizer “The Stinkin’ Cute Lil’ Cheesecake That’s So Cute You Can’t Bring Yourself To Eat It.” But that’s too long. Plus it doesn’t really describe what it actually is, except for the cute part.
Plus if I did, it would make me sound like a wierdo.
So, therefore, Thanksgiving Mini Savory Cheesecake Appetizer it is. Which is long enough.
I could have cut out the Thanksgiving part, but I wanted to be a little more precise, since the topping is in the shape of a pumpkin. Which, as you know, makes these mini savory cheesecakes apropos for a Thanksgiving appetizer.
Yes, apropos. I use words like that all the time. I’m very sophisticated. If only I can convince myself that.
Also because this way, I can easily generate more seasonal recipes out of this one.
I can swap the “pumpkin” tomato topping with let’s say… a mini carrot, and all of a sudden I have the making of an Easter appetizer.
Make the topping in the shape of a shamrock, and it’ll become a St. Patrick’s Day appetizer. And so on and so forth. One basic recipe for multiple posts. Brilliant!
See, besides being sophisticated, I’m also smart. I can also see you rolling your eyes at me. That’s okay, I deserve that.
Anyway, these Thanksgiving Mini Savory Cheesecakes are not just cute-looking, they’re bonafide delicious as well. And we can thank the late Selma for creating the recipe. Simple, easy-to-do, fail-proof, guaranteed yumminess… in short, perfect.
Every now and then, whenever I miss her, I go to Selma’s site to reread her posts (I’ve probably read each one of them at least twice) or just to look at the pictures. I find it comforting knowing that I can always “visit” her any time I need to hear her “voice”.
Needless to say, her blog is full of inspiration. She was an exceptional recipe developer. These savory mini cheesecakes, particularly, have been in my monthly rotation because they’re very easy to make, and because they’re so versatile.
Obviously, you can serve them as an appetizer, as I have here, with or without grilled or toasted slices of bread.
You don’t even need to top them with the cherry tomato “pumpkins” if you don’t want to, and they’re still attractive enough for a party.
You can use them to top your salads, which is so, so delicious! I really enjoyed this!
Or… if you’re my husband, and he being the savage that he is and does not care about making sure his food is pretty-looking, you squash them inside a bagel.
That man!! But you know what, it was actually good! I have to begrudgingly admit he does have a good idea every now and then.
Anyway… as you can see, these mini savory cheesecakes are completely adaptable to multiple applications. So, I’ve got only one request… make them already! Especially for Thanksgiving next week. They will fit in nicely with the rest of your Thanksgiving menu. And when you do make them, make sure you think of my friend Selma.
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
- Orange cherry tomatoes
- Chives or green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Parsley leaves & stems
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, break up the eggs by whisking them lightly.
- Add half of the parmesan and the rest of the ingredients.
- Whisk until all the ingredients are well mixed.
- Fill muffin cups almost to the top of the rim with about 1½ tablespoons of the mixture. These cakes will puff up slightly but not too much.
- Sprinkle with more parmesan.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Top each cake with a cherry tomato, then bake for another 5 minutes. You want the tomatoes to be soft and heated through but not bursting or collapsing.
- If your tomatoes come with stems already, leave them. Otherwise, use a bamboo skewer to poke a hole on top of the tomatoes, then insert chive/green onion pieces for stems.
- Decorate with parsley leaves and tendrils made out of strips of parsley stems or green onions that have been shocked in cold water.
Save This To Make Later
This Thanksgiving Mini Savory Cheesecake Appetizer is partying with:
Baking Crumbs, hosted by Apply To Face Blog and Jo’s Kitchen Larder
Cook Blog Share
Oh my gosh, they are just stinking cute! But not too stinking cute to eat! The photos are so lovely and I love how you showed several ways to eat them…but not *ahem* standing in front of the fridge at midnight in my nightie and barefeet, lol, which is how a few of them I’m sure would be eaten at my house! oink.
It was lovely of you to honor Selma! I still come across some of her comments on my past posts from when she hosted Fiesta Friday. She always made such insightful comments that made me feel proud of what I’d posted, even when I was newer and my pics and writing questionable at best! I think of her often when I’m visiting as a co-host and try to live up to her standards!
Mollie
They’re also very easy to make, despite looking so cute. It’s one of those recipes that gives you the most bang for your buck. Selma was just the loveliest and kindest person I met online. From the beginning she was very supportive even though, just like how you felt, I always thought my posts were mediocre at best.
When you opened today’s Fiesta Friday post with this, I was immediately like “I gotta have these in my life.” I’m looking forward to making these. They look so tasty!
I agree, everybody needs these in their life, lol. Thanks, Laura. They’re hard to resist!
These are just too adorable! I think they would be wonderful as part of any spread. I’ve pinned them for serving at my New Year’s open house. Have a wonderful holiday Angie. And thank you so much for featuring my post, it was a wonderful surprise when I opened FF this morning.
I am happy to co-host almost any time in December or early January.
Thanks! You can top them with crispy bacon pieces maybe, as suggested by Antonia, for New Year’s celebrations, since you know pork is considered lucky. How about Dec 6, can you cohost then?
These look extremely rather cool! I’m going to consider this for an upcoming event!
Sounds like a plan, Diann. They’re so good, you can’t go wrong. They’re also low carb, btw.
They really are stinking cute! 😀 But, seriously, they look delicious! I’m thinking they would also be great for breakfast, maybe topped with a little piece of bacon? I think I need to make these and test my theory, lol. Thank you for sharing this delicious and special appetizer. It is a wonderful way to honor your friend.
I think it’ll be great with bacon! Now I need to make more ? Thanks for cohosting, Antonia ?
I love anything which has cheese in it and the combination with cherry tomato sounds delicious. These look great for a seasonal party but, given how versatile they are, could also end up in the kids lunchboxes!
You’re right, Rosemary, they would be perfect in lunchboxes!
Hey Angie! I am slightly obsessed with canapes this time of year. These are just so damn perfect, I have to try them. Seriously…. Thank you so much for sharing them with #BakingCrumbs and what a great way to honour your friend.
Are you also hosting #BakingCrumbs? Somehow I couldn’t find the link-up on your site. But I’ll add your site to reflect that you’re one of the hosts.
Yeah, these are really good despite how easy they’re to make. You can top them with anything, really. Bacon, as suggested by Antonia, sounds great. I’ll have to try that. Thanks!
I love how super cute they are, very impressive little canapés indeed! 🙂 Ricotta is fantastic when baked and I’m sure I could demolish quite a few of these tasty morsels! Thank you for bringing these to #BakingCrumbs and Happy Thanksgiving for Thursday! 🙂 PS. Myself and Jenny have been cohosting the Linky together up until now as I’m saying my goodbyes this month and Jenny will be continuing solo.
Thanks, Jo! So, okay, I’m glad I was able to link up for your final linky. Is Jenny going to be hosting on her own? She’ll be busy! I don’t think I can make it without my cohosts.
These sound amazing Angie! And so pretty too…. Love the idea of handing them round on a platter…. xx
I think that’s a great idea to include these on a party tray! Thanks, Kate!