I prepare these in bulk and then throw them into salads and sides or dress them up with sauce and veggies for a main course. They are a bit time consuming to prepare, but they taste so much better than canned.

Ingredients
1 lb dried cannellini beans
1 large onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
4 cups unsalted vegetable broth
2 cups water
10 parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Rinse and pick over beans. Put them in a large bowl and fill bowl with water until it reaches at least 2 inches above he tops of the beans. Soak for 20 minutes. Drain, rinse and soak for at least 4 hours. Drain and rinse again.

2. Put beans in a large saucepan. Add vegetable broth and enough water to cover beans with liquid by 1 inch. Add onion, garlic, parsley, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook 2 hours, stirring occasionally and checking to make sure that liquid does not dry up. Add more water if beans are getting too dry.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Test a bean for softness. Continue cooking until beans reach desired tenderness. Cool and remove onion, garlic, bay leaf and parsley stems before using or storing.