You’ve probably noticed how many recipes this month call for lemons. The reason has less to do with seasonality — Meyer lemons are actually at their peak from November to January — than with flavor profile. Indeed, the word most commonly bandied about by food writers when referring to lemons is “brightness,” which definitely described the sun coming through my windows today.
So it was the lemons in this recipe for Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens that caught my eye. Lentil soup might sound better in late fall or winter, but with the bright (ha, ha) addition of lemon juice and lemon zest, this healthy soup pairs perfectly with spring. It also puts to use all those greens that are popping up right now at the farmers’ market.
If you haven’t cooked much with lentils, you should. They’re high in protein and fiber, and unlike other legumes such as beans, they don’t require pre-soaking. I like to make my own chicken stock, but if you use store-bought chicken or vegetable stock you can have this hearty soup ready for dinner in no time. I started it after I dropped my son off at soccer practice. By the time he walked in the door an hour later it was done and I was building block towers with his little sister.
Click here for the recipe for Lemony Lentil Soup with Greens.
If you’ve read Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Outliers, you’re familiar with his notion that practice — some 10,000 hours of it — makes perfect. Not exactly perfect, but a master. 
The beauty of this dish is that it’s more of a technique than a recipe. In place of precise amounts, I have listed steps so you can tailor it to fit the number of people you are cooking for and how you want it to be (i.e., lots of sausage on a small bed of noodles vs. mostly noodles with green flecks, etc.). Turnip greens are hard to find, but if you can get your hands on them, go ahead and use them here. Their peppery bite is a great accent to the other flavors.
