Caesar Salad Bites are an easy go-to hand-held appetizer that’s an instant party pleaser since they’re made with parmesan cheese cups! Make a dozen salad bites in just 20 minutes!
These Caesar Salad Bites are a fresh, fun spin on a classic salad! Their edible cheese cups make them the best hand-held snack that will win you lots of compliments!
The best part is you’ll be earning those compliments after spending only 20 minutes assembling 6 ingredients into these brilliant bites of deliciousness!
Delicious Caesar Salad Bites
Taste: These salad cups have the same great flavor as your favorite Caesar salad, just in bite-sized form! The parmesan cheese cups are a tasty touch that elevates them above having just a plain old bowl of salad.
Texture: Crunchy yet chewy golden-brown edible parmesan cups hold the crisp lettuce that’s been smothered in a creamy Caesar dressing! On top are crunchy crumbles of seasoned croutons!
Caesar Salad Bites Ingredients
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Lettuce
- Caesar Salad Dressing
- Fresh Chives
- Croutons
- Black Pepper
The ingredients for this recipe are similar to what you’d already be grabbing to make a bowl of Caesar salad. The difference just lies in how you prepare and serve them!
To allow the lettuce to fit into the mini parmesan cheese cups, it will need to be finely chopped. Therefore, you can get a head of green leaf lettuce, a bag of romaine lettuce, or even a bag of shredded lettuce to chop up a bit more.
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the freedom to choose your own Caesar salad dressing. This allows you to tailor these Caesar Salad Bites to your own taste!
Step 1: Shape parmesan cheese into 2–3-inch circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven and then allow them to cool on the pan for 1 minute.
Step 2: Mold the parmesan disks onto an upside-down mini muffin tin and then pop the pan into the oven to allow the cheese to melt into the cup shape. Afterward, as the cheese cups are cooling, toss the lettuce, salad dressing, and chives together in a medium-sized bowl.
Step 3: Crush the croutons into smaller pieces to prepare them to be the topping on these Caesar Salad Cups.
Step 4: Arrange the parmesan cups onto a serving platter and add Caesar salad into each one. Sprinkle with the crushed croutons and a bit of pepper.
Helpful Tips To Make The Best Caesar Salad Bites
- Portioning – When making the cheese disks, use 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese per disk. Then spread it out carefully to create a 2 to 3-inch circle. This will create the ideal cheese circle size that works best with mini-muffin tins to create the cheese cup shape.
- Batches – Since the cheese disks do take up a lot of space on the baking pan, you’ll want to work in batches. I find that 6 parmesan disks per baking sheet are just the right fit!
- Cool The Cups – Make sure your cheese cups have completely cooled before assembling! If not, it will warm up the Caesar salad causing the lettuce to wilt.
- Serving – For easier serving, you can place the cheese disks into the muffin tins to form their cup shape. This then allows you to assemble the salad in the muffin tin while also being able to serve them right from the pan!
Caesar Salad Bites FAQs
These are best enjoyed the same day that they’re made. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container and eat them within 2 days.
For thicker cups, add a little more parmesan cheese when making the disks before they go into the oven.
Yes, finely chopped-up grilled chicken would make an excellent addition to these salad cups!
Of course! After all, the taste of homemade always adds its own delicious flavor to a recipe.
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Caesar Salad Parmesan Cups
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 5 oz green leaf lettuce finely chopped
- 1/3 cup Caesar salad dressing
- 1 tbsp fresh chives roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup croutons
- Black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of parmesan onto the baking sheet and shape it into a 2-3 inch circle. You will only be able to fit about 6 parmesan disks on the baking sheet, so you will need to do 2 batches.
- Bake the parmesan for 4 minutes and then allow the cheese to cool for about 1 minute.
- Using a spatula or your hands, transfer the parmesan disks to an upside-down mini muffin tin. Mold the disks to the muffin cup shape.
- Put the muffin tin in the oven for an additional minute to allow the cheese to melt into the cup shape.
- While the parmesan cups cool, combine the lettuce, salad dressing, and chives in a medium-sized bowl. Then crush the croutons into smaller pieces (we will use this as our salad topping).
- Remove the parmesan cups from the muffin tin. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of salad to each cup and top with croutons and a pinch of pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!
So happy I found this – going to make for a baby shower. How far in advance can these be made?
Author
I would make the filling the day of and you can probably get away with making the cups the day before by storing them in an airtight container.
If you are a lover of ceasar salad, these are a fun and simple twist that looks like art and makes you feel like a professional chef. Even my carnivore husband and nephew went back for more. I served them with the pizza chicken I also found on this site and it was a perfect combo.