Lightly butter the outside of an aluminum pot pie pan and set aside.
Heat oven to 300F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place about 1/3 cup of cheese in a pile on the parchment paper. With your hand, pat and spread the cheese into a circle that, when baked, is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pot pie pan. You don't want a thick layer of cheese; almost a single layer.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 3-4 minutes just until the cheese is melted and a little bubbly, not browned. Keep a close eye on it!
Remove tray from oven. Looses the edges of the cheese circle gently with a spatula. Set the buttered pan in the center of the cheese circle. Carefully lift up the sides of the parchment paper and flip the whole thing over peeling off the paper. The cheese will drape down the sides of the pan.
Place the parchment back on the cookie sheet and set the cheese covered pot pie pan on top. Your pot pie pan will still be upside down with the cheese covering the outside.
Return to oven and bake another 3-4 minutes (ovens vary; keep a close eye on it) until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool as-is for 1-2 minutes. Carefully remove the pot pie pan. Store in an airtight container so they'll stay crisp for up to 3 days.
When ready to use, place the Parmesan bowl on a salad plate and fill with salad. I think they go best with Caesar salad. And, yes, the bowls are edible!
There's a little bit of a learning curve with making these, mainly in spreading the cheese to the right thickness. Took me 3 tries the first time I made them for my niece's birthday dinner. Glad the "mistakes" are edible!
