Lentils are the best. They are nutritious, inexpensive and quick-cooking (compared to most other legumes). For a great all-purpose lentil soup recipe, read my latest article in The Seattle Times.

I’ve made many a lentil soup in my life, but rarely made the same recipe twice (usually because I’ll see a tasty recipe in a magazine or on the interwebs, make it once, then lose the clipping/printout). When I set out to do this article, I turned to my hefty cookbook collection. The first recipe I tried was a total disappointment (Mark Bittman, shame on you). It used water instead of broth, and had little flavor. I managed to salvage the recipe enough that it wouldn’t go to waste, but I clearly would not recommend it to anyone else! 
I ended up coming up with a recipe that combined what I liked best from three different recipes (including the ill-fated Bittman recipe). It’s a good, all-purpose, savory, tasty lentil soup that has some optional ingredients for variety. I’ll definitely be making it again!