Balsamic Pasta Salad with Cumbers & Herbs

4.78 from 9 votes

Light & fresh cucumber pasta salad with a basil balsamic vinegar dressing

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Resting Time45

Servings: people

Cook pasta according to instructions. Give a good pinch of salt to the water. Drain noodles & cool in fridge or on counter until room temp. Make sure to toss every so often while you wait. If noodles get stale, you can quickly run them under a bit of water. Cook Frozen Peas according to directions on bag as well. Let cool together. You can make both of these the night before. Make sure to add pinch of salt to peas!
Make Balsamic Dressing: Dump all ingredients into a jar or bowl & whisk until emulsified & combined. Set Aside.
Assemble Pasta Salad: In a large mixing bowl (to fit pasta salad), add chopped cucumbers & pinch salt. Add ⅓ of the balsamic dressing & toss. Let cucumbers marinate for 10 minutes or up to 30. Finally, add the cooked fusili, room temperature peas, chopped basil & watercress to the bowl. Cover with the rest of the dressing. Toss evenly to coat. Serve with more basil & cold or room temperature. Let all ingredients sit about 45 minutes so the noodles can soak up the dressing!*

Things to Know:

you can make this overnight, BUT I would wait to add the peas. They soak up some dressing and become browner in color so I like to season them well with salt, and add them in the next day.
you do not HAVE to let the noodles marinate at the end, but it is definitely best to let them soak that dressing up as long as possible. Even a few hours is great!