Lentils

Lentils are legumes, like beans, and a good source of protein. Unlike beans, they cook quickly and don’t need to be soaked in advance.

There are four broad categories of lentils: red, green, brown, and black. I rely on green and black in this book because they hold their shape the best, but brown is more readily available and can be substituted in any of the recipes. The red ones are the softest and break down during cooking, making them great for soup or spooned over rice, but not great for the recipes in this book.