Add dried white beans to large pot, then enough water to cover beans by 1 inch. Allow beans to soak for 8 hours. To save time, feel free to quick soak beans.
Heat olive oil in large soup or stock pot over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Use a colander to drain and rinse soaked beans. Add beans to the stock pot of sautéed vegetables and stir to incorporate. Add bundle of thyme sprigs (or dried thyme), garlic and fresh water to cover beans by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, cover pot and lower heat to simmer; Cook for 4 hours or until beans are soft, but not mushy (See Note 1). To make this navy beans recipe in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, see Note 2.
Season to taste and serve with crusty bread.
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Notes
At this stage it can be seasoned to reflect whatever type of soup you want, be it French with thyme and tarragon, Mexican with cumin, Italian with Italian herbs, etc. You can also add fresh franks from the butcher and cook for an additional 20 minutes, but sometimes I like to add chicken.
If using a slow cooker cook on high for 4 hours. If using an Instant Pot, use manual setting to cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then perform a Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes.
Per Nutrition Facts on 16 ounces dried beans: Serving Size 1/4 cup dried, Servings per container about 12. Beans double in volume when cooked, so this would be a 1/2 cup serving, not counting other ingredients.