Rinse the beans and soak them in cool water for 12-24 hours, changing the water at least once.
2 cups dry white kidney beans
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the kidney beans and cook them, over medium heat, for approximately 30 minutes. Drain the beans and set aside.
Chop the onion, carrot and celery into chunks which are about the size of the soaked kidney beans. It is not an exact science, so don’t worry about it too much.
1 medium yellow onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk
In a large pot, saute the vegetables in the olive oil for approximately 5 minutes over medium high heat, stirring regularly. Be careful that the vegetables do not burn.
1/3 cup Greek olive oil
To the pot add the drained kidney beans, 7 cups of water, tomato sauce and the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Once you have reached a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cover partially (do not fully cover the pot with its lid so that you let a bit of steam escape). Cook for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking your soup to be sure that it does not require more water. If it does require more water, simply add more, 1/2 cup at a time.
7 cups water, 1 cup tomato sauce, or passata, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
After 60 minutes test your beans for doneness. They should be soft and creamy. If they are not, allow to cook for a while longer until you get to this point.
Enjoy!