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I used Palmini Pasta to make this delicious Low-Carb Pasta Salad that’s easy to make and loaded with amazing Italian flavors! There are also tips to make the salad with lower-carb Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta if you prefer. Or make Italian Pasta Salad with regular pasta if you don’t care about the carbs!

PIN the low-carb pasta salad to try it later!

Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad with Palmini Pasta, finished salad in serving bowl

When I posted the new low-carb version of Pasta with Sausage and Kale, I told you about what good results I had when I made this favorite pasta recipe with Palmini Pasta! And today I’m sharing this new recipe for Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad, which is another recipe I loved when I made it with the hearts of palm pasta!

Kara and I are having fun experimenting with this pasta made with hearts of palm, and we’re enjoying the things we make with it! This new recipe that uses Palmini Low-Carb Linguini (affiliate link) is extra quick and easy to make, and I was so pleasantly surprised that it kept well for several days in the fridge.

But the hearts of palm pasta is a bit pricey and it might not be for everyone, so if you’d like to try a variation of this recipe with a lower-carb pasta that tastes just like regular pasta, this low-carb pasta salad would be amazing made with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti (affiliate link); see more below about that option.

This would be a perfect pasta salad to take to a summer pot-luck or to make for a family dinner, and I bet most people will never guess it’s not made with regular pasta!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What is Palmini Pasta?

Palmini Pasta (affiliate link) is a type of low-carb pasta made from hearts of palm. The pasta variations made by Palmini include Linguini, Angel Hair (which is more like thin spaghetti), and Lasagna. Kara and I have enjoyed experimenting with the Palmini Pasta products, and we really like the flavor of them when they are used in a dish like this with lots of flavorful ingredients. 

Why is this a good recipe for using Palmini Pasta?

One drawback to Palmini Pasta is the price; definitely it’s a lot more expensive than regular pasta. That’s why I recommend using it in recipes like this one, where there are a lot of other ingredients in the dish to spread out the pasta. This low-carb pasta saladmakes six servings from one can of Palmini Linguini, which makes it a much more affordable recipe to make using Palmini.

Does Palmini Pasta need to be pre-cooked?

For some recipes you might good results by just cooking the Palmini in the sauce. But after experimenting with this recipe and another one we are working on, Kara and I definitely prefer cooking the linguini for five minutes in boiling, salted water before using it in a recipe. We feel the pre-cooking gives the hearts of palm a more “pasta-like” texture.

Want more pasta options for this Italian Pasta Salad?

Or if you’d like to try another option for pasta that’s not quite as low in carbs as the Palmini Pasta, but much higher in fiber and lower in net carbs than regular spaghetti, you could make this tasty salad with Fiber Gourmet Light Pasta (affiliate link) which is a high-fiber wheat pasta made in Italy. And the recipe was somewhat inspired by an older recipe for Spaghetti Pasta Salad, so if you don’t think the low-carb pastas will be a hit at your house you might like that one. (Both those other options will not be gluten-free.)

Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad process shots collage

Tips for making this Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. We used one can of linguini for this recipe. (It also comes in a pouch which contains slightly less.)
  2. Dump the linguini into colander and drain well.
  3. Then use Kitchen Shears (affiliate link) and cut the linguini into shorter pieces.
  4. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and linguine noodles, and cook at a low simmer for 5 minutes.
  5. While linguini cooks, slice cherry tomatoes, drain olives, slice green onions, chop fresh basil, and grate or measure out the Parmesan Cheese.
  6. Drain cooked noodles well in a colander placed in the sink.
  7. Whisk together dressing ingredients and add the chopped basil to the dressing; then mix it into the pasta.
  8. Gently mix in the sliced tomato, mini pepperoni, sliced olives, and green onions.
  9. Mix in 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle the rest over the salad
  10. Can be served at room temperature or chilled, with more Parmesan to be added at the table if desired.

Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad with Palmini Pasta finished salad in serving bowl

More Low-Carb Pasta Salad:

Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad with Palmini Pasta, finished salad in serving bowl
Yield: 6 servings

Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

I used Palmini Pasta to make this delicious Low-Carb Italian Pasta Salad that's easy to make and loaded with amazing flavors!

Ingredients

  • one 14 oz. can Palmini low-carb linguini
  • water + 1 tsp. salt for cooking linguini
  • 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
  • one 2.25 oz. can sliced olives
  • one 5 oz. package mini pepperoni
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1/3 cup Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (see notes)
  • 1/2 tsp. Italian Herb Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Dump the linguini into a colander placed in the sink and let the noodles drain well and drain well.
  2. Then use Kitchen Shears to cut the linguini into shorter pieces. (This is important or it will be hard to get other ingredienets evenly mixed in.
  3. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a generous amount of salt and linguine noodles, and cook at a low simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. While the linguini cooks, slice cherry tomatoes crosswise so they are in small circles similar to the size of the sliced olives and mini pepperoni.
  5. Drain the sliced olives, slice green onions, chop fresh basil, and grate or measure out the Parmesan Cheese.
  6. After 5 minutes (or until they are as soft as you prefer when you try a noodle) drain pasta into a colander placed in the sink. Let it drain well and cool for a few minutes.
  7. Whisk together Vinaigrette dressing, Italian Herb Seasoning, and Garlic Powder to make the dressing.
  8. Add the chopped basil to the dressing; then put pasta into a bowl and mix dressing into the pasta.
  9. Gently mix in the sliced tomato, mini pepperoni, sliced olives, and green onions.
  10. Mix in 6 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle the rest over the top of the salad.
  11. Can be served at room temperature or chilled, with it's great served with more Parmesan to be added at the table if desired.

Notes

You can use any low-sugar vinaigrette to make the dressing.

Recipe created by Kalyn and Kara when we were experimenting with Palmini Low-Carb Pasta.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 189Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 5.7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 30mgSodium 1088mgCarbohydrates 6.1gFiber 2gSugar .8gProtein 8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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© All images and text ©Kalyn Denny for Kalyn's Kitchen.
Category: Salads
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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions: 
This Low-Carb Pasta Salad with Palmini Pasta would be suitable for any low-carb diet plan, including Keto. If you make the salad with Fiber Gourmet Light Spaghetti that will be slightly higher in carbs, but still much lower than a salad made with traditional pasta. The Palmini Pasta should be fine for any phase of the original South Beach Diet or the Fiber Gourmet Pasta will work for phase 2 or 3, but South Beach would definitely prefer turkey pepperoni, and possibly a bit less Parmesan.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Pasta Recipes or Salad Recipes for more ideas like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The low-carb Italian Pasta Salad was posted in 2021. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.

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