This recipe for Orzo Salad with Pan Fried Hearts of Palm & Artichoke Hearts is a sponsored post created for Reese Specialty Foods. All opinions are my own.

Spruce up your basic pasta salad! Our recipe for Orzo Salad introduces hearts of palm and artichoke hearts to this potluck favorite. Panfrying the veggies first lends great color and flavor!

Pasta salad is one of those dishes that comes to my mind whenever I’m asked to bring a potluck dish. It’s easy, it’s vegetarian, and gosh-darnit, people like it.

But man… sometimes you just gotta shake things up a bit. After toting around my standard pasta salad (rotini, cuke, tomatoes and vinaigrette) to more events than I can count, I realized I need to change up my recipe. If a fashionista can’t wear the same outfit twice, a food blogger can’t bring the same dish twice!

I love sharing new ingredients with people, so the first thing I decided to do was introduce a veggie that many of my friends may not have tried… Hearts of Palm.

With a vegetabley-nutty taste and a creamy texture, it’s a fun ingredient to use in pasta salad. And when combined with more familiar artichoke hearts, it becomes a little more approachable for those new to the ingredient.

You can find Reese Hearts of Palm (which are Non-GMO Project Verified) and Artichoke Hearts at grocery and retail stores around the U.S. To find the location nearest to you, visit Reesespecialtyfoods.com and click the product locator link.

Orzo Salad with Pan Fried Hearts of Palm & Artichoke Hearts

Drain and rinse hearts of palm and artichoke hearts. Pat the hearts of palm dry, and squeeze out the liquid from the artichoke hearts using cheesecloth or a thin flour sack cloth.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the hearts of palm in a single layer and cook 2-3 minutes per side until golden. Season with salt and pepper and place in large bowl.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and bring back to medium high heat. Place the artichoke hearts in the oil and cook until brown in parts, about 3-4 minutes. Pour them into the bowl with the hearts of palm.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil and cook the orzo until al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water. Add the orzo to the bowl.

Stir in the tomatoes, herbs, cheese, lemon juice, a few more drizzles of olive oil and salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to one day.