"Urban Onion" Lentil Soup

So there's this little restaurant downtown Olympia that has long been a local favorite for its lentil soup.  Years ago my sister procured their recipe.  I made this soup last night for the first time and it came out perfectly! My children even liked it, and that's saying something if they like a bean soup of any kind.  My homemade refried pintos or black beans they love, but soup?  That's iffy.
I've changed the quantities of some of the ingredients slightly to fit our family's preferences (I increased the carrots and potatoes) from the original recipe.

"Urban Onion" Lentil Soup

1 3/4 C lentils
3 quarts water
2-4 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped into tiny pieces
3 large carrots, cut into small bite size pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into very small pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C fresh basil, chopped into tiny pieces
1 12 oz. can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste (I added a dash of celery salt also)

Fill the pot with the lentils. Cover with the water and simmer until lentils are tender, about 2 hours.
Saute the onion, celery, and carrots until transparent. Throw in the garlic for the final minute or two.
Add the sauteed vegetables to the lentils along with the remaining ingredients and simmer until potatoes are tender. (About an hour or so?) Season with the salt and pepper toward the end.

Serve with some crusty homemade bread and you're in for some healthy, hearty goodness!
It's even better the next day, whan all the flavors have melded and the broth has thickened.

Enjoy!