Trader Joe's Hearts of Palm "Pasta" Has Only 4 Grams of Carbs Per Serving

Searching for gluten-free and vegan pasta swap? Trader Joe's has the product for you that's all set to be dressed up with marinara sauce, tossed with pesto or perked up into a spicy noodle dish.

This "pasta" is ready to eat after 5 minutes of sautéing or just 2 minutes in the microwave, and a 9-ounce package costs $3.49, serves three and is just 20 calories and 4 carbs per serving.

We don't know about you, but that means we'll be stocking up on a whole box per person. Ahem, back to the stats about this "pasta:" per serving, it also includes 2 grams of fiber, no sodium and a bit of calcium and potassium (view the nutrition label here). That's because it's made with only one ingredient.

Hearts of palm are vegetables harvested from the core of palm trees, which are then made into linguine-like strands. The flavor of hearts of palm is somewhat similar to artichokes but a bit nuttier. Mostly, they're a blank slate for what flavors you pair them with.

Related: 7 Easy Ways to Eat More Vegetables

Think of these like zoodles 2.0, with a hue even more similar to regular noodles to tempt picky eaters.

Speaking of said picky eaters, a great way to reduce the carb and calorie count of a meal, boost veggie intake and still enjoy some of the real thing is to go halfsies and mix one serving of pasta with one serving of hearts of palm "pasta." This hack is a hit with volume eaters as well, since it nearly doubles the portion size while adding only 20 calories to your daily intake. It's the same concept we used in this tasty recipe: Balsamic Chicken Pasta Bake with Zucchini Noodles recipe.

While it can be dressed up with any toppings and sauces you like, for a first try we recommend mixing the hearts of palm noodles with Ina Garten's no-cook sauce and shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken for a low-fuss, no-oven-required meal to fuel us through the week.