Hearty Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
1 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Pour water over navy beans in a large container to cover by several inches; soak 8 hours to overnight.
Combine soaked beans, chicken broth, water, onion, celery, garlic, and bay leaf in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour.
Stir tomato paste and sea salt into bean mixture; simmer soup another 45 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
Ladle about half the soup into a large bowl; pour soup into a blender, working in batches, filling blender no more than half full. Hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend until smooth. Pour pureed soup into pot with unblended soup; stir in parsley and adjust salt and pepper to taste.