Caesar Salad Parmesan Bowls

Caesar salad parmesan bowls are individual caesar salads served in an edible parmesan cheese bowl. They are the perfect little salad to make for a special occasion or brunch. The caesar salad uses an easy to make caesar dressing, homemade croutons, romaine lettuce, and parmesan cheese.

Caesar Salad Bowl

Caesar salad has been popular for as long as I remember. It is a classic salad that most people love. I always loved how straightforward caesar salad is. No tomatoes, no cucumbers, just fresh romaine leaves, flavorful crunchy croutons, parmesan cheese, and a delicious dressing. Although, traditionally it is made with anchovies as well, a lot of places serve it without anchovies. Caesar Salad was the first salad I ever ordered at a restaurant and I remember how mature I felt ordering it at 13 years old. And to this day, it is still my favorite salad.

For this recipe, I omitted the anchovies and created an easy to make dressing, some homemade croutons, and then I served the salad in cute little parmesan bowls that take about 6 to 7 minutes to bake. And if you like crispy parmesan, make sure to check out my recipe for crispy parmesan roasted brussels sprouts.

Caesar Salad Parmesan Cheese Bowl

When I first started my instagram account I used to make parmesan crisps often. They had just gotten popular by brands like Whisps and ParmBake. I knew I could make a whole bunch of them for a lot cheaper than they were selling them, plus I love being in the kitchen.

These caesar salad parmesan bowls are just a larger version of the crisps I used to make. To make them you spread parmesan cheese out in 5” circles on some parchment paper. Then you bake them in the oven until slightly golden brown. Once you remove them from the oven you need to work quickly so that the cheese doesn’t harden before you get a chance to mold it. I used some small bowls I had laying around. I flipped over the bowls and carefully peeled the hot parmesan cheese from the parchment paper and then molded it to the bowl. I let it stay there until cool and then I removed it.

Once my parmesan crisp bowls were ready, I quickly mixed up my salad and served it in the bowls.

Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies

For this recipe I made my own quick caesar dressing. I should note that this dressing is not traditional since I do not use anchovies in my recipe. Also, instead of using egg and oil in my recipe, I am using Mayonnaise which consists of egg and oil. Some other ingredients I use are lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. You can also add in a little water if your dressing is too thick for your liking.

I love creamy caesar dressing. It has always been my preferred dressing to use on lettuce even since I was a kid. I know you’ll love the savory tang of this homemade dressing. If you aren’t up for making your own dressing, feel free to use your favorite store bought caesar dressing.

Caesar Salad Croutons

I made homemade croutons for this recipe, which is completely optional. I happen to have some bread that was getting old and I thought I would give it a try.

To make homemade croutons all you have to do is chop up your bread into 1” cubes. Toss the bread with olive oil, salt, and then a herb seasoning of your choice. I chose a seasoning blend that had garlic powder, black pepper, rosemary, and parsley.

Then, just spread your croutons out on a large baking sheet and bake them for 15 minutes at 375F. I flipped them after 10 minutes to ensure they got uniformly golden brown. I then let them cool to firm up a little and then I added them to a mason jar to store them until I was ready to assemble my salad.

INGREDIENTS FOR CAESAR SALAD PARMESAN BOWLS

Caesar Salad Parmesan Bowls

• 2 heads romaine lettuce washed and cut
• 8 oz parmesan cheese freshly shredded. reserve 1/4 cup to use in the salad.
• 6 oz croutons recipe below or store bought
• 3/4 cup caesar dressing recipe below or store bought

Croutons

• 6 oz sourdough bread
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning or herb blend of your choosing

Caesar Dressing

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese shredded
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CAESAR SALAD PARMESAN BOWLS

Croutons

• cut up bread into small cubes
• preheat oven to 375F
• combine all crouton ingredients in a large bowl and mix. add to a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes, flipping them once after 10 minutes.

Caesar Dressing

• combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth.

Parmesan Bowls

• Preheat oven to 400F
• On a parchment lined baking sheet, create 5″ round circles using the shredded parmesan cheese. Try not to leave any spaces in the cheese so that it all connects while it melts together. Leave 2″ of space between the circles. You should make these in batches because you do not want your parmesan to cool too much or else you will not be able to mold it.
• Bake the parmesan for 6-7 minutes until you see the parmesan cheese start to get golden. Remove them from the oven, let cool for about 10 seconds and then get ready to create your parmesan bowls. You will need to work fast because if you let the cheese cool on the baking sheet, you will not be able to mold it into the shape of a bowl.
• Place a bowl upside down, and using a spatula to remove the parmesan from the parchment paper, place the parmesan circle over the bottom of the bowl. Using your hands, press firmly against the bowl. Let the cheese cool on the bowl. Once it is cool, you will be able to remove the cheese.
• Once all bowls are made, make your salad by combining the romaine lettuce, croutons, as much caesar dressing as you want, and 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese.
• Add salad to the parmesan bowls and serve.