Portillo’s Chopped Salad with Sweet Italian Dressing

I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I have made this as a side dish salad and love it. My kids even liked it. I had the leftovers for lunch all week long and it was delish. 

Ingredients-
Sweet Italian Dressing:
• 1/3 cup white or regular balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons sugar, honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salad:
• 8 ounces (about 1 cup or so) uncooked Ditalini pasta (see note above)
• 5 cups chopped lettuce (use what you like: romaine, spring mix, iceberg or a combo)
• 1 cup chopped red cabbage (see note above)
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 - 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 2 cups cooked, diced chicken (see note above)

DIRECTIONS

1. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender or jar. Process or shake until well-combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. You can make and refrigerate the dressing a week or two in advance.
2. In a pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse quickly with cool water so it doesn't stick together while it cools. Pour a few tablespoons of the dressing over the pasta and stir lightly. Set aside to cool to room temperature (spreading it into a flatter layer - versus mounded in a bowl - will speed up the cooling process).
3. In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and green onions. Add the cooled pasta, bacon, gorgonzola cheese, and chicken.
4. To serve, you can toss the salad with the dressing before serving - or, if you anticipate leftovers, add dressing only to the portions of salad served and then store the dressing and salad separately for fabulous leftovers.