This is one of those meals in a bowl in the tradition of stone soup. In fact in Portugal a version of this soup is called sopa de Pedra, after the folktale of the same name, where something wonderful is created out of very simple and inexpensive raw materials. Put the right humble ingredients together and what have you got? A great, soul-satisfying soup. Add some sausage and eliminate the pasta and you could be in Spain or Portugal.