Weekly Recipe: Ricotta Cheesecake

Growing up, we always joked how my Grandmother would never throw any food away.  We always said it was because she grew up during the Depression and she just couldn't bear to see any food go to waste.  It was such a precious commodity during those times, that it's almost sinful for her to be so frivolous to throw something away. 

Well fast forward 80 or so years to today and my life.  Guess who must take after her grandmother?  Yep, me.  I make it my mission to use up every ingredient and eat every leftover in the fridge/pantry each week.  So when I had 3/4 of a container of ricotta cheese leftover, I searched for a recipe to use it in.  I had always wanted to try a ricotta cheesecake, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

I actually had a hard time finding a recipe that received decent ratings that didn't use a bunch of other ingredients I didn't have.  You can easily get into a lot more money trying to use up the last of an ingredient than you're saving if you're not careful.

So I found this recipe on Southern Living's website (my go-to recipe destination) and made some modifications.  I completely changed the crust to a graham cracker crust but otherwise kept it mostly the same.  

Ricotta Cheesecake

• Crust:
• 1 2/3 cup crushed graham crackers (1 sleeve)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• Filling:
• 3/4  (15-ounce) carton fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1  (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup spreadable reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 3/4  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  plain fat-free yogurt (I tried strawberry and it was undetectable in the final taste.)
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
• 2  large eggs
• 2  large egg whites
• Cooking spray

Preparation

To prepare crust, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl.  Combine and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 8 or 9-inch springform pan.  Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven.

To prepare filling, place cheeses in a bowl, and beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Lightly spoon 1/4 cup flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Add 1/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and the next 4 ingredients (sugar through egg whites) to cheese mixture; beat until smooth.
Preheat oven to 325°.
Pour filling into crust.  Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until filling is set. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula; cool on a wire rack.
Serve with dulce de leche sauce.