Greek Bean Soup (Fassoulada)

1 lb (2 cups) dried white beans, soaked overnight
1 large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 sticks celery, strings removed and sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped (or one 15-oz can peeled tomatoes)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
5 Tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Drain the beans and place in large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil, skimming off any froth with a slotted spoon.
2. Add all the other ingredients except the salt and pepper, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until tender.
3. Allow to cool slightly, season with salt and pepper, and ladle into bowls. Serve with crusty bread.

Source: Modern Greek cookbook

Try #1 - May 22, 2011
This was delicious! My new favorite bean soup. I used small white beans (the larger cannellini beans are probably more authentically Greek, but I don't think it made a difference), and a can of diced tomatoes instead of fresh. The kids loved it too! I will definitely make this again!

Try #?? - October 2014
I've made this several times.  This last time I tried it in the crockpot (which I've done before), and was reminded that this takes a LONG time to cook, even if you've soaked the beans overnight.  It needed a good 10 hours on low, maybe even longer.  I haven't tried it on high (although I did jack up the temperature to high a couple of hours before dinner when I realized my beans might not be done on time...), but I'm sure that would work too.  So this can be done in the crockpot, as long as you plan for a FULL day of cooking.