Homemade dressings are so easy, so much healthier for your kids, and so much cheaper, I don’t know why any dressing company is still in business!  This Homemade Zesty Italian Dressing Recipe, similar to the store bought version of “zesty Italian”, is perfect for our Fourth of July Potluck salad.  Although, I can’t guarantee it will keep till tonight the way my kids are picking at it today.

I love this bean salad because we always have the ingredients for it.  We simply use white beans and red peppers, and then our fake “Zesty Italian” dressing.  The full recipe is below:

Ingredients

• 3 cups white beans (can be a mixture of butterbeans, great northern, or white kidney)
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
  

  Zesty Italian Dressing

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp water
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• dash of black pepper
• 1/8 tsp thyme, dried
• 1/8 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Rinse white beans, cooked or taken from a can. Place in bowl with chopped red peppers.
2. In separate bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together.
3. Pour dressing over beans. Eat immediately, or chill before eating.
4. For a Fourth of July dish, serve with blue corn chips!

Happy 4th Everyone!

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This is enough food to be a balance lunch on our MyPlate for kids.  Are you following us on Pinterest yet? We’ve got all our Kids MyPlate ideas there!

What is your favorite store bought dressing to copycat?  Come back tomorrow for another dressing idea!