Craving your favorite Cheesecake Factory dishes but don’t feel like dining out? Now, you can enjoy the restaurant’s most popular recipes right at home with easy copycat recipes!
Fried Mac and Cheese Balls
Macaroni and Cheese is an American favorite. Leave it to the Cheesecake Factory to take this classic and make it better. This copycat recipe pays homage to the Cheesecake Factory’s wonderful recipe.
Serves 4–6 | Prep. time 15 minutes plus 3 hours chilling time | Cooking time 15 minutes
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 ¾ cups marinara sauce
- 1 ¾ cups alfredo sauce
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
- ¼ cup red wine
Balls:
- 16 ounces grated white sharp cheddar, grated
- 16 ounces smoked gouda cheese, grated
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups whole milk, warmed
- 1 pound large elbow macaroni, cooked
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Fresh Parmesan cheese for garnish only
- vegetable oil for frying
Directions
- Make the balls. In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded cheddar and shredded gouda.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour slowly, whisking until there are no lumps. Gradually add the 2 cups of warm milk. Whisk until smooth, and continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken.
- When the sauce is thickened, remove it from the heat and gradually mix in the cheddar and gouda cheeses. Stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated thoroughly.
- Add the cooked macaroni and salt and pepper into the cheese sauce and stir well.
- Butter a large cake pan and spread the mac and cheese mixture evenly into the pan, then place it in the refrigerator for at least two hours. You want the mixture to set and make it easier to form into balls.
- After two hours, remove the tray from the refrigerator and form the mac and cheese into evenly sized balls about 2 inches in diameter. Cover, and put them in the freezer for at least an hour.
- In a small bowl, beat your eggs and 3 tablespoons of milk together.
- Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish.
- In a deep skillet or large saucepan, heat enough vegetable oil so that the balls will be covered when you fry them.
- When the oil is heated to 350°F, dip each ball in the egg mixture, then the panko crumbs, and drop them into oil. Work in batches, and cook until the balls are a nice golden brown color, about 3–4 minutes. Transfer to paper towel as they finish cooking to drain.
- Make your cheese sauce by combining the marinara and alfredo sauce in a small saucepan. Heat over medium and when warm, add the ricotta, Italian cheese blend, and wine. Stir to combine.
- When the cheeses have melted, remove the pot from the heat and add the garlic powder and heavy cream. Stir well.
- Serve the macaroni balls with the cheese sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Meatloaf
The Cheesecake Factory has a knack for taking traditional recipes and making them better. This recipe is inspired by their delicious meatloaf.
Serves 6 | Prep. time 15 minutes | Cooking time 60 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons green bell pepper, minced
- 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, minced
- ½ cup red onion, minced
- ⅓ cup carrot, shredded
- 5 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ pounds ground sirloin
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon rubbed (ground) sage
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
Onion Topping
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Mushroom Gravy
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon minced Italian parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon rubbed (ground) sage
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare the meatloaf. In a medium skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and cook the peppers and red onion until they are soft. Add the carrot and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the ground beef and pork and mix them together. Add the parsley, sugar, salt, thyme, pepper, oregano, sage, paprika, the cooked vegetables, and the milk. Once this is combined, add the breadcrumbs a bit at a time so they get evenly distributed.
- Press the meat mixture into a loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes, remove loaf from oven and let stand for 30 more minutes.
- Make the onion topping and gravy while the meatloaf is cooking.
- To make the onion topping, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet, then add the onion, salt, and pepper and cook for about 25 minutes. Keep the heat relatively low to caramelize the onion without burning it.
- Make the gravy by melting the butter in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then whisk in the flour. Cook until the flour starts to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Whisk in the beef broth and make sure there are no lumps. Then add the mushrooms, parsley, salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Cook until the gravy thickens, about 10–12 minutes.
- Serve sliced meatloaf topped with onions and gravy.
Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic
This rich creamy pasta is another dish the Cheesecake Factory is famous for. This recipe is inspired by their delicious entrée.
Serves 4 | Prep. time 15 minutes | Cook time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces center-cut bacon, cut into strips
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms quartered
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped (reserve the oil)
- ¾ cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 head roasted garlic
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 pound bow tie pasta (farfalle), cooked and drained (but not rinsed)
Directions
- Cube the chicken and season it with salt and black pepper.
- In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over high heat.
- Cook the chicken until lightly browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. When it is browned, remove it from the skillet and set it aside. Add the bacon to the skillet and cook until crisp.
- When the bacon is done, stir in the mushrooms and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft, then remove them from the skillet.
- Next, add the sundried tomatoes and white wine to the skillet. Stir and let it cook until the liquid reduces to half volume, about 12–15 minutes.
- When reduced, stir in the heavy cream, roasted garlic, chicken, and vegetables.
- Stir in most of the Parmesan cheese, saving a little for garnishing.
- Stir in the pasta and serve with the remaining Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
This is one of the Cheesecake Factory’s most popular desserts. Now you can make this recipe (inspired by the Cheesecake Factory’s) at home.
Serves 8-10 | Prep. time 30 minutes plus 8 hours refrigeration time | Cooking time 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ¾ cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
- 4 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger, ground
- ¼ teaspoon cloves, ground
- 2 cups whipped cream, sweetened
- ⅓ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a 12-inch springform pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, ¼ cup of the sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined and press the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Bake for about 25 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, begin making the filling by beating together the cream cheese, sour cream, and pumpkin.
- Add the rest of the sugar, and slowly incorporate the beaten eggs and vanilla. Add the remaining salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Fill a large baking pan (big enough to hold your springform pan) with about half an inch of water. Place it in the oven and let the water get hot.
- Put foil around the edges of your springform pan, then add the filling and place the pan in the oven inside the water bath you made with the baking pan.
- Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the center is set. You can turn the foil over the edges of the cake if it starts to get too brown. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack for at least one hour before removing the sides of the springform pan.
- After it has cooled, remove sides of the pan and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Serve with whipped cream and toasted pecans.
Raspberry Lemonade
Serves 8 | Prep. time 2 minutes | cook time 3 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- Extra sugar for the rim of your glass
Directions
- In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar until the sugar completely dissolves.
- Meanwhile, purée the raspberries in a blender. Add the contents of the saucepan and the cup of lemon juice. (If it’s too thick you can add extra water.)
- Wet the rim of your glass and dip it into a bit of sugar to coat the rim before pouring the lemonade into the glass.
- Serve.
***These recipes and more are found in Lina Chang’s Copycat Recipes – Making the Cheesecake Factory Most Popular Recipes at Home. To get your own copy, click on the cover below or click here.
