Italian Chopped Salad

Slightly adapted from bellyful.net

1 cup ditalini pasta, cooked according to package directions

3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 9-oz. pkg. Melissa’s Peeled and Steamed Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup cubed summer sausage

1 cup cubed provolone

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup marinated artichokes, drained and chopped

1/2 cup sliced red onion

1/2 cup fresh corn

Dressing:

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

Two cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cups red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

This salad can be prepared in one of two ways. Either you can combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss it together with the dressing, and then serve, or, if using it as a main dish, you can put it together, attractively, in a pasta bowl (like I have used here) or on a plate. It's your choice.

To make the dressing - in a medium bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil. Slowly pour in olive oil, whisking constantly to emulsify*. Drizzle over the salad and gently toss to coat

*I swear by bullet blenders for making vinaigrette salad dressings. I toss everything in together, and pulse it until it is combined. Using a bullet blender your salad dressing is going to beautifully emulsify, and stay emulsified for as long as it's in your fridge.