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    Home » Recipes » Party Appetizers

    Mini Caesar Salad Parmesan Cheese Cups

    Published: Feb 26, 2020 · Modified: May 9, 2022 by Aleka Shunk · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

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    These Mini Caesar Salad Parmesan Cheese Cups are a fun and easy appetizer to serve your guests! Salads are hard to make bite sized but these individual baskets, made with Parmesan cheese, are a fun way to eat one with your fingers!

    Parmesan cheese crisps filled with a caesar salad on a white plate.

    These Caesar salad cups are a fun and easy party recipe to serve as a brunch snack, a pre-dinner appetizer or a fancy hors d'oeuvre.

    The Parmesan crisps take less than 5 minutes in the oven and less than a minute to set! Once baked, the edible mini cheese cups or "bowls" can last for several days in a sealed container.

    Like my Mini Stuffed Bell Peppers, they are the perfect finger food to serve a crowd! They even make it more fun for kids to eat a salad!

    Contents hide
    1 How To Make Mini Parmesan Cups
    2 How To Serve Your Cups
    3 How Far In Advance Can You Make Your Cups
    3.1 Add Chicken!
    3.2 More salad appetizers you may like:
    4 Mini Caesar Salad Parmesan Cheese Cups
    4.1 Ingredients
    4.2 Instructions
    4.3 Recipe Notes
    4.4 Nutrition

    How To Make Mini Parmesan Cups

    caesar salad kit with parmesan cheese

    For this recipe, I purchased a pre-packaged salad bag which comes with chopped and cleaned Romain lettuce, mini croutons, Parmesan cheese shavings AND Caesar dressing!

    So technically, this appetizer uses only 2 ingredients! The salad kit AND a Parmesan cheese.

    Step 1: If you use a block of Parmesan cheese, you will need to grate your cheese first.

    shredded cheese in circles on a nonstick sheet

    Step 2: If using a block of Parmesan, use a box grater to finely grate your cheese. Then place about 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese onto a silicone mat, or parchment paper, lined baking sheet. If you do not use one or the other, the cheese will stick! You want cheese rounds that are about 4" wide and 2" apart from each other.

    Step 3: Bake for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is just melted.

    shredded Parmesan cheese baked in muffin cups

    Step 4: Remove melted cheese crisps from the oven and let sit for 40-60 seconds before removing.

    Step 5: Use a spatula to carefully but quickly remove each cheese crisp from the baking sheet to your mini muffin tin. Use your fingers or a shot glass to press them down into every other muffin tin slot. You want the edges to overlap the muffin tin.

    *I do not use the bottom of the muffin tin to create the cup shape (like some recipes show) for one reason. That reason is because I like to use the muffin tin as a holder until I'm ready to serve them. If you use the bottom of the muffin tin, the cups will not fit the inside of your tins and you will need to use another container to transport them.

    baked parmesan cheese cups

    Step 5: Even though the bagged salad is pre-chopped, I chop the lettuce even more so I do not have huge salad leaves that wont fit inside the cups. Then I dress the salad generously with my Caesar dressing and fill each cup generously. You can top each cup with more cheese or mini croutons if you wish! Like mini tartlets!

    baked parmesan cheese cups filled with Caesar salad.

    How To Serve Your Cups

    As mentioned above, once the Parmesan shells are set and cooled in the muffin tin, I will leave them inside and fill with my Caesar salad. This way I do not have to mess with the cups until I am ready to serve them to my guests.

    Treat your mini Parmesan cups like mini canapes. They are delicate so the less you handle them, the better!

    Check out this round up of Savory Canapes for parties!

    parmesan cups filled with Caesar salad.

    How Far In Advance Can You Make Your Cups

    When filled with the salad, they will stay crisp for 3-5 hours at room temperature. The individual crisps will stay crispy for several days in a sealed container.

    Add Chicken!

    Feel free to add shredded or diced chicken to your cups! It will help keep your guests full longer. If doing this, I suggest adding grilled chicken if possible to give your cups the most flavor!

    More salad appetizers you may like:

    Cucumber Cups Filled with Greek Salad

    19 Easy Last Minute COLD Party Dips For A Crowd

    Burrata Salad Appetizer with Roasted Veggies

    Healthy Imitation Crab Salad

    Amuse Bouche Tips and Recipe Ideas

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    parmesan salad cups on a plate

    Mini Caesar Salad Parmesan Cheese Cups

    These Mini Caesar Salad Parmesan Cheese Cups are a fun and easy appetizer to serve your guests! Salads are hard to make bite sized but these individual cups, made with Parmesan cheese, are a fun way to eat one with your hands!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 127kcal
    Author: Aleka Shunk

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
    • 8-10 oz Romain lettuce, chopped ((1 ½ cups chopped))
    • ½ cup Caesar dressing
    • Garlic powder (*Optional)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400°F.
    • Place 1-1½ tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese onto a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. (One of these is essential or your cheese will stick!)
      Spread the cheese out so each round measures about 4" wide. Leave about 2" gaps between your rounds. You can fit 6-8 rounds onto each baking sheet. If using garlic powder, sprinkle each round with some of the powder to make these "Garlic Parmesan" crisps.
    • Bake for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is just melted. You do not want to brown your cheese!
    • Remove from oven and let cool for 40-60 seconds.
    • Use a spatula and quickly but carefully place each round over every other slot on your muffin tin tray. Use your fingers or a shot glass to press the cheese down into the cups. You want to do this while the cheese is still slightly hot so they will mold easily. It is okay if your cheese overlaps the tin.
    • While waiting for crips to cool, add your salad and dressing to a large bowl and mix until coated. Use as much dressing as you wish but I prefer a generous amount of dressing. You do not need to use the entire ½ cup.
    • Once your cups are cooled, fill each cup while still in the muffin tin. Keep them in the tin until your ready to serve. If you only have one muffin tin, fill each cup and place them onto your serving tray. Garnish with more parmesan cheese or croutons if you like!

    Recipe Notes

    *The Parmesan cups are delicate so the less you handle them, the better!
    *You can prepare the cups ahead of time. Just store them in a sealed container until ready to fill. The cups will stay crisp for 3-5 hours!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.6g | Protein: 9.6g | Fat: 8.1g | Saturated Fat: 4.1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 390mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 3.1g | Calcium: 252mg | Iron: 0mg
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    appetizer shooters with text overlay "97 easy party appetizers"
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    Comments

    1. ayeza malik

      March 27, 2020 at 12:32 pm

      such a nice recipe .. will try soon

      Reply
    2. JanetGoesBitesized

      March 08, 2020 at 6:50 pm

      5 stars
      SO CUTE for a baby or bridal shower, or any kind of party. GREAT WEBSITE design as well!!! wow. go you!

      Reply
      • Aleka Shunk

        March 09, 2020 at 2:59 pm

        Thanks so much for your sweet comments 🙂 Yes, totally baby or bridal shower worthy! 😉

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