Lentils may be in short supply, especially if you want to buy them in bulk, but for the average home cook, the odds are good that you're not eating lentils every day and a cup or two should still be easy enough to come by. Lentils are high in protein and provide a huge advantage over beans in soup because they do not have to be soaked in advance and have a relatively short cooking time. This recipe comes from Cooking Light and is an easy to make, satisfying dish.

I used black lentils to make this soup, but you should be able to substitute any kind you have, such as red or yellow, and still come up with a great result. I also opted to omit the cilantro, since I don't like it to have a really strong presence in dishes, and did not puree the soup. The dish was slightly spicy and very good, especially considering that it only took about one hour to make!

Lentil-Tomato Soup
2 tsp olive oil (or other veg oil)
2 cups onion, diced (1 large, or 2 med)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/3 cups water
2 1/3 cups dried lentils
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
3 (14 1/2-ounce) cans chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, adding in the onions and sauteeing for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the spices and the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add remaining ingredients (including cilantro, if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 1 hour.
Serve as is, or transfer to a blender and puree in batches until smooth.

Makes about 11, 1-cup servings.