Soak the gigantes overnight. The longer, the better!
Drain and rinse the beans well after soaking to remove the starches.
Transfer the beans to a large soup pot and fill with water so that the water covers the beans by at least one inch. Cover the pot and bring the beans and water to a boil on medium heat for 1.5-2 hours until they are soft, but not mushy. This step is important to ensure the beans are soft enough to eat after they are baked.
Drain the beans and spread them out into a 15 x 10 baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Begin preparing the sauce. Saute the onion in 1/4 cup of the extra virgin olive oil for 4-5 minutes.
Add the crushed garlic and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Add the crushed tomato, tomato paste, fresh chopped parsley, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.
Allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens up; approximately 10 minutes.
Add the can of vegetable broth to the sauce.
Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil directly over the gigantes.
Pour the prepared sauce over the gigantes and mix evenly and gently - the beans should be bathing in the sauce!
Cover the beans with foil and bake for one hour.
Uncover baking dish and bake for an additional hour, checking the gigantes every 20 minutes and keeping an eye on the juices in the pan; they should still be bathing in the sauce. It's okay to add more vegetable broth if needed, 1/4 cup at a time.
Note that the beans will continue to soak up the juices, even after you remove them from the oven.