Our recipe for Hearts of Palm Pasta Salad makes a side dish that everyone will enjoy! This salad boasts an Italian-inspired flavor profile. If you’re looking for something quick and easy to make, and low carb, keto friendly, gluten free and dairy free, this is the recipe for you.
The Recipe for Hearts of Palm Pasta Salad
If you’re missing pasta salad, this recipe is for you! This “pasta” salad is loaded with flavor. It has a dressing base with garlic, white wine vinegar, olive oil, and a bit of oregano. We add some juicy, ripe tomatoes and olives. Ribbons of basil add color as well as flavor.
This is a recipe you’ll keep coming back to. There is very little prep work and it’s actually easier to make this low-carb pasta salad than the carb-laden alternative. No vats of boiling water are required!
While my final recipe is quite different, a recipe I saw for seared tuna with tomato-olive relish in the April 2021 Real Simple magazine provided the inspiration. I loved the idea of tomatoes and olives in a dressing, but wanted to add in some noodles to make it a versatile salad, rather than a relish for fish. Of course, I did my own thing with the dressing and added some oregano and basil to make it my own.
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What is Hearts of Palm Pasta?
Hearts of palm pasta comes from the inner core of palm trees. This core has a lower fiber content than the outer layers of the palm, making it edible. While harvesters may use the core from either single or multi-stemmed palm trees, generally they try to take them from multi-stemmed plants. This is because removing the core from a single stemmed palm will kill the entire tree. However, when taking the core of multi-stemmed palm trees, harvesters can leave some stems so the plant stays alive and can produce more stems in the future. For more information, be sure to check out this article.
While eating hearts of palm may be new to many of us, it’s actually a traditional food in the cultures of Southeast Asia, South America, and Central America. I have seen more and more variations of this delicacy available and have enjoyed experimenting with this veggie.
The heart of palm has cylindrical layers, like tubes within tubes. When these are cut longitudinally, we end up with long, noodle-like pieces that look remarkably like linguini. Manufactures precooked and can them. You can find them in many grocery stores.
Is Hearts of Palm Pasta Healthy?
Hearts of palm pasta makes a wonderful, healthy alternative to the carb-heavy,gluten-intense, wheat or grain-based pasta we’re used to seeing.
Instead of a grain, this pasta is considered a vegetable. It’s low in calories, and low in carbs. About half of the carb content that it does have is fiber. According to the USDA, t is a source of vitamins B-6, and B2 and a touch of vitamin C and Folate. It also contains some calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, and zinc.
Some companies will add oil or salt to their palm noodles, so if you’re watching your sodium intake, you might want to read the ingredients.
Is Hearts of Palm Keto-Friendly?
Absolutely! According to the USDA, one half cup of palm pasta has 3.4 grams of total carbohydrates. Of that, 1.8 grams are fiber. That means that there is only 1.6 net grams carbs per half cup of palm pasta.
What does Hearts of Palm Pasta Taste Like?
Hearts of palm pasta has quickly become one of my favorite pasta substitutes. It has a mild flavor that takes on the flavor profile of the sauce. This makes it highly desirable for a low-carb pasta lover.
How to serve this low-carb pasta salad
This salad makes a perfect summer side dish. I like to serve it with simple, grilled meats, like this Easy Grilled Dijon Mustard Pork Tenderloin Recipe (Low Carb, Keto)or seared fish. You could also add some cheese to make it a whole meal. Some fresh mozzarella, or feta cheese would be perfect!
Our recipe for Hearts of Palm Pasta Salad makes a side dish that everyone will enjoy! This salad boasts an Italian-inspired flavor profile. If you’re looking for something quick and easy to make, and low carb, keto friendly, gluten free and dairy free, this is the recipe for you.
Hearts of Palm Pasta Salad
Our recipe for Hearts of Palm Pasta Salad makes a side dish that everyone will enjoy! This salad boasts an Italian-inspired flavor profile. If you're looking for something quick and easy to make, and low carb, keto friendly, gluten free and dairy free, this is the recipe for you.
Ingredients
- 1 9-ounce package hearts of palm pasta Linguine shaped
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- sea salt to taste (I used ¼ teaspoon)
- black pepper to taste (I used ¼ teaspoon)
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- ½ cup ripe tomatoes diced, or, if mini tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffanade (stacked, rolled, and sliced)
- ¼ cup black olives (green or kalamata would work also) pitted, quartered lengthwise
Instructions
Place palm pasta in a colander and rinse well. Allow to drain.
In a a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, dried oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Add the drained palm pasta, the tomatoes, black olives, and fresh basil to the dressing.
Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
I love everything about this salad! Flavorful, refreshing, delicious and easy to make!!
Pasta salads are one of my favorites and this one looks fantastic and so tasty! Looks and sounds amazing. Excited to make this very soon!
This pasta sounds so refreshing and healthy! I’ll be making this for my lunch with my girlfriends. Thanks for the great recipe!
I didn’t know hearts of palm pasta was a thing. I’m excited to find and try it – and your recipe for this salad!
I’m a sucker for summer pasta salads…this one is no exception!