From Betty Crocker

Lentils are the "dahling" of Indian cusine. Here, they're spiced up with ginger, red pepper, garlic and many other flavor-packed ingredients.

Indian Lentils and Rice

From Food & Wine

One of Defne Koryurek's favorite homemade sausages includes beef, lamb, red peppers, and garlic; she loves eating it alongside a creamy salad of lentils, roasted peppers, and sauteed pears. The recipe is also delicious when prepared with spicy, rich merguez sausage.

Lamb Sausage with Lentils and Sauteed Pears

From Better Homes and Gardens

Loaded with flavor, this rice and lentil recipe makes a satisfying side dish accompaniment to grilled meats.

Red Lentil Rice

From Better Homes and Gardens

Round lentils are token culinary coins representing good fortune across Europe and the Middle East. Together with precious spices, apricots, and greens, this salad is sure to bring a fruitful future.

Spinach-Apricot Salad with Spiced Lentils

From Food & Wine

In Panicale, the small Umbrian town where Nancy Silverton's house is located, Matt Molina bought Umbrian lentils -- a small, brownish-green variety grown in Castelluccio. "They have a rich, buttery flavor that's so comforting," he says. Molina simmered them slowly until they were exquisitely creamy.

Umbrian Lentil Stew with Olive-Oil-Fried Eggs

From Food & Wine

"Earth, color, red things," are the words Pierre Gagnaire uses to describe the Hermes perfume that inspired his dish, Parfums de Terre. This marvelous soup is one of the dish's seven components. Both the foie gras that enriches the broth and the lentil gnocchi are earthy; the lightly pickled onion wedges add brightness and tang, not to mention a hint of color.

Foie Gras Soup with Lentil Gnocchi and Balsamic Onions

From Better Homes and Gardens

A refreshingly zippy mustard dressing perks up this low-fat meatless main-dish salad.

Lentil Salad With Pasta Shells

From Midwest Living

Lentils, rice, vegetables, and a little feta cheese make this healthy side dish a flavorful addition to most any main course.

Garden-and-Grain Salad

From EatingWell

Pop this fast and fragrant vegetarian dish into the oven and forget it till the timer rings. Serve as a main course on a bed of wilted spinach to add color and maximize iron absorption or serve as a side with Turkish Chicken Thighs.

Baked Curried Brown Rice & Lentil Pilaf

From Fitness

Light Italian dressing coats the vegetables and lentils in this easy spinach side salad. You could also enjoy this as a light lunch.

Marinated Garden Lentil Salad

From Better Homes and Gardens

This quick, low-fat salmon recipe is topped with spicy yogurt sauce and served over high-fiber lentil pilaf.

Salmon with Lentil Pilaf

From EatingWell

Based on a traditional Lebanese Lenten dish, this recipe makes a terrific meatless meal. Serve with warm whole-wheat flatbread or pita and a dollop of tangy plain yogurt.

Lentil & Bulgur Pilaf with Green & Yellow Squash

From EatingWell

Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a bright note to this toothsome and hearty winter soup, perfect for a weeknight supper with a hunk of crusty bread. It freezes beautifully -- you can keep individual portions in the freezer for healthy weekday lunches. For homemade vegetable broth, see Roasted Vegetable Stock at eatingwell.com.

Cumin-Scented Wheat Berry-Lentil Soup