Skip if using pre-cooked (canned beans)
Put your beans in a pot and cover them in a few inches of water. Place the pot in the fridge overnight.
Next day, drain them and thoroughly wipe out the pot. Place the soaked beans back into the pot and cover them with a few inches of water. Bring to a simmer, and a small pinch of kosher salt.
From here you can add onions, shallots, garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, thyme. Anything really!
Simmer for about 2 hours, salting in the meantime, tasting the broth and adjusting.
Once the beans are tender, turn off the heat. Taste and continue to add more flavor where you want it.
Strain the beans from the liquid and allow to cool (for this recipe!), but remember to save the liquid (can even freeze it) for future soups.