I grew up with beans. My parents grew up in the depression and my dad had to eat a LOT of beans then. You would think he would have hated them, but no, he loved them so we had some kind of bean soup every Friday night. My favorites are great northern, navy beans and pinto beans. But I like red and black beans too.
The way we cook them is : For one pound of dried beans. Wash the beans carefully, and pick out any damaged beans or stones. Put in a large pot with water about twice the depth of the beans. Add about 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp baking soda. Bring to boil, and boil for about an hour. Let stand for about 2 hours. Then drain completely. [this step eliminates some of the enzymes in beans that cause flatulence].
Refill the pot with water, add about 2 tsp of salt, ground pepper to taste, and 1/2 to 1 onion, chopped, and garlic. Add some kind of meat. We usually would add left over ham bits, or salt pork, or ham hocks. Bring to a boil and then simmer over medium low heat, covered, until beans are tender. Depending on the beans this could take 2 to 4 hours. Be sure to stir occasionally and add more water if the beans have absorbed most of it. You want to keep it soupy.
Sometimes we would add other vegetables, such as shredded carrot, or a can of tomatoes. Also taste the broth now and then, and adjust seasonings. Beans are done when tender to your liking by taste testing.
If my Mom was cooking pinto beans, sometimes my Dad tossed in a bunch of chili powder. That always made her mad, LOL.
You can freeze your beans in portion sizes if you can't eat it all before it spoils. They usually taste even better the next day. We always liked to serve them with crusty french bread or homemade corn bread.
While I have made chili with beans since my DX, I have not made bean soup. I am waiting until I get better control of my BG. It is a good way to make up a stock of cooked beans though, and freeze to have on hand for chili nights.
Another method is to wash the beans, pick out the stones, cover with water, and let stand overnight. Drain, fill the pot with water, vegetables and seasonings. With this method the cooking time is probably 1/2 - 1/3 shorter.
Good luck
~ Gretchen ~