The night before you want to make the soup, rinse the dry beans under cool running water in a colander. Pick out any discolored or odd looking beans. Add the beans to a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Cover with the seven cups of water and let sit overnight.
When ready to cook the beans and soup, add the cans of tomatoes to the pot along with the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and garlic. Give a stir. Bring the pot to a slow simmer over medium/low heat. Cover with lid. Simmer the soup for an hour.
After an hour, add all of the fresh herbs to the pot. Simmer for another thirty minutes until the beans are tender.
Serve soup with a dash of heavy cream if you want to be unhealthy and serve alongside your favorite sandwich. Soup can be stored in an airtight container and frozen for up to a month.
Recipe Notes
If you want to substitute canned beans, use at least two 15 ounce cans. Also only use four cups of water in the recipe and cook the soup for forty five minutes instead of an hour and a half.