• 1 small red onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 leek (white part only)
• 1/2 small cabbage
• 1 glass of crushed tomatoes (or 1 tablespoon tomato paste)
• A little extra virgin olive oil
• 1.5 liters of water or stock (chicken or vegetable)
• Paprika (sweet or hot, to taste)
• A handful of noodles or any small pasta (stars, shells, letters…)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• Chopped parsley (fresh is best)
• Salt to taste

The sofrito that sets the tone

In a large saucepan, add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and heat over medium heat.

Add the onion, leek, carrots, and cabbage, finely julienned. Add a pinch of salt and stir.

There’s no rush here. You can sauté the vegetables for just a few minutes if you like them firmer, or let them cook gently if you prefer a softer texture and a more concentrated flavor. This step builds the soup’s aromatic base: the better you work the sofrito, the more depth the final result will have.

Enamelled steel keeps the heat steady and prevents hot spots, helping the vegetables sweat without burning.

Paprika and tomato, just right

When the vegetables are cooked to your liking, add the paprika and stir quickly so it blends in without burning. It’s a small gesture, but key: paprika brings aroma, color, and a very characteristic warmth.

Add the crushed tomatoes or tomato paste and mix well again. Let it cook for a couple of minutes so it loses its acidity and melds with the sofrito.

This is where it starts to smell like home cooking!

The stock that brings it all together

Add the hot stock or water. If you use water, add a bit more salt.

Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. That time lets the vegetables finish softening and the flavors come together without losing freshness.

The pasta and the finishing touch

Add the pasta of your choice along with the chopped hard-boiled eggs. Cook over low heat until the pasta is done.

If you like it thicker, add a bit more pasta; if you prefer it lighter, stick to just a handful.

Remove from the heat, adjust the salt, and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley just before serving. It adds a green, fresh note that balances everything out.

Variations and how to adapt it to what you have

One of this soup’s strengths is its flexibility—you can do lots of things:

Quick homemade stock

You can use the green part of the leek along with a few sprigs of parsley to make a quick stock while you prepare the sofrito. In 15 minutes you’ll have a more aromatic base at almost no cost.

Add extra protein

If you want to make it more filling:

• Ham bone or beef shank: add it at the beginning with the water and let it simmer longer to draw out its flavor.
• Chicken pieces: brown them first in the saucepan with a little oil. Remove them, make the sofrito in the same base, and add them back in before adding the liquid. The result is richer and more complete.

More vegetables? As many as you like!

Zucchini, spinach, celery, green beans, turnip, mushrooms, chard… they’ll work perfectly. This is an ideal recipe for using up small amounts that might otherwise be forgotten. A small handful of any cooked legume you like also works well. In this pot, almost anything goes.

Find your own twist

If you swap the chopped parsley for oregano, cilantro, or basil, the dish takes on a different character. And if you add grated ginger, curry, or lemongrass… it suddenly becomes an exotic dish!

A recipe for real-life days.

We don’t always have the time or energy to cook elaborate dishes. And we don’t need to.

This restorative soup shows that with simple ingredients, a good base, and cookware that distributes heat well, you can make a tasty, nutritious, affordable dish in just over half an hour. In its original version, without added meat, it’s also a very complete option and well suited to those who observe Lenten Fridays or simply prefer a lighter choice without giving up flavor.

This recipe gives us far more than it asks of us—and that’s exactly why you’ll end up knowing it by heart.