Little Italy Cheesecake

We've all got our favorite cheesecake recipes. Well, now you're gonna have another one. It's made with ricotta cheese as well as cream cheese - of course, reduced-fat types of both. So you can enjoy that great Italian flavor once again.

Serves: 10

Chilling Time: 4 hr

Cooking Time: 1 hr 5 min

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    
2. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; press into the bottom of a 10-inch deep-dish glass pie plate.
    
3. Bake 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned; let cool.
    
4. In a large bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, combine ricotta cheese, yogurt, sugar, flour, and lemon juice until smooth; set aside.
    
5. In another large bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, beat cream cheese, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add ricotta mixture, beating on low speed until well combined. Pour into pie crust.
    
6. Bake 60 to 65 minutes, or until center is nearly set. Cool 30 to 45 minutes, then refrigerate 4 to 5 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Notes

Top with fresh strawberry slices or whole blueberries or raspberries, if desired.