diff --git a/command/jsonplan/values.go b/command/jsonplan/values.go
index a6e96d1d89..498b0f6f75 100644
--- a/command/jsonplan/values.go
+++ b/command/jsonplan/values.go
@@ -96,16 +96,36 @@ func marshalPlannedValues(changes *plans.Changes, schemas *terraform.Schemas) (m
 			containingModule := resource.Addr.Module.String()
 			moduleResourceMap[containingModule] = append(moduleResourceMap[containingModule], resource.Addr)
 
-			// root has no parents.
-			if containingModule != "" {
+			// the root module has no parents
+			if !resource.Addr.Module.IsRoot() {
 				parent := resource.Addr.Module.Parent().String()
-				// we likely will see multiple resources in one module, so we
+				// we expect to see multiple resources in one module, so we
 				// only need to report the "parent" module for each child module
 				// once.
 				if !seenModules[containingModule] {
 					moduleMap[parent] = append(moduleMap[parent], resource.Addr.Module)
 					seenModules[containingModule] = true
 				}
+
+				// If any given parent module has no resources, it needs to be
+				// added to the moduleMap. This walks through the current
+				// resources' modules' ancestors, taking advantage of the fact
+				// that Ancestors() returns an ordered slice, and verifies that
+				// each one is in the map.
+				ancestors := resource.Addr.Module.Ancestors()
+				for i, ancestor := range ancestors[:len(ancestors)-1] {
+					aStr := ancestor.String()
+
+					// childStr here is the immediate child of the current step
+					childStr := ancestors[i+1].String()
+					// we likely will see multiple resources in one module, so we
+					// only need to report the "parent" module for each child module
+					// once.
+					if !seenModules[childStr] {
+						moduleMap[aStr] = append(moduleMap[aStr], ancestors[i+1])
+						seenModules[childStr] = true
+					}
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/command/testdata/show-json/nested-modules/modules/more-modules/main.tf b/command/testdata/show-json/nested-modules/modules/more-modules/main.tf
index 7e1ffafe1a..2e5273a572 100644
--- a/command/testdata/show-json/nested-modules/modules/more-modules/main.tf
+++ b/command/testdata/show-json/nested-modules/modules/more-modules/main.tf
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-variable "ok" {
-  default     = "something"
-  description = "description"
+variable "test_var" {
+  default = "bar-var"
+}
+
+resource "test_instance" "test" {
+  ami = var.test_var
 }
diff --git a/command/testdata/show-json/nested-modules/output.json b/command/testdata/show-json/nested-modules/output.json
index 2dcc54773a..d4304dff5b 100644
--- a/command/testdata/show-json/nested-modules/output.json
+++ b/command/testdata/show-json/nested-modules/output.json
@@ -1,9 +1,54 @@
 {
   "format_version": "0.1",
-  "terraform_version": "0.12.1-dev",
   "planned_values": {
-    "root_module": {}
+    "root_module": {
+      "child_modules": [
+        {
+          "address": "module.my_module",
+          "child_modules": [
+            {
+              "resources": [
+                {
+                  "address": "module.my_module.module.more.test_instance.test",
+                  "mode": "managed",
+                  "type": "test_instance",
+                  "name": "test",
+                  "provider_name": "test",
+                  "schema_version": 0,
+                  "values": {
+                    "ami": "bar-var"
+                  }
+                }
+              ],
+              "address": "module.my_module.module.more"
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+      ]
+    }
   },
+  "resource_changes": [
+    {
+      "address": "module.my_module.module.more.test_instance.test",
+      "module_address": "module.my_module.module.more",
+      "mode": "managed",
+      "type": "test_instance",
+      "name": "test",
+      "provider_name": "test",
+      "change": {
+        "actions": [
+          "create"
+        ],
+        "before": null,
+        "after": {
+          "ami": "bar-var"
+        },
+        "after_unknown": {
+          "id": true
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  ],
   "configuration": {
     "root_module": {
       "module_calls": {
@@ -12,15 +57,31 @@
           "module": {
             "module_calls": {
               "more": {
+                "source": "./more-modules",
                 "module": {
+                  "resources": [
+                    {
+                      "address": "test_instance.test",
+                      "mode": "managed",
+                      "type": "test_instance",
+                      "name": "test",
+                      "provider_config_key": "more:test",
+                      "expressions": {
+                        "ami": {
+                          "references": [
+                            "var.test_var"
+                          ]
+                        }
+                      },
+                      "schema_version": 0
+                    }
+                  ],
                   "variables": {
-                    "ok": {
-                      "default": "something",
-                      "description": "description"
+                    "test_var": {
+                      "default": "bar-var"
                     }
                   }
-                },
-                "source": "./more-modules"
+                }
               }
             }
           }
@@ -28,4 +89,4 @@
       }
     }
   }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file