Italian Lentil Soup

It's tough to make lentils taste particularly appealing. The hard little seeds can be earthy and plain. But the Fiddlehead's done it. Seasoned with basil, oregano, garlic, Worcestershire, and dijon, and including baby-butt (garbanzo) beans, this lentil dish is far from boring. And it's so healthy, too! Lentils are high in protein, fiber, folate, and minerals.

Soak the lentils overnight:

Saute your onion, celery, and garlic until soft. Add stock, tomatoes, lentils, and seasonings and bring to a boil. Then simmer for an hour and a half. Add cooked baby-butt beans at the end, and serve with parmesan cheese. I took two liberties for ingredient availability--instead of a can of diced tomatoes, I substituted red pepper-tomato soup. Instead of parm, we sprinkled our hot soup with cheddar (and thus the yellow-orange color).