Mexican fideo soup (Sopita de fideo)

This entry is also available in: Español

Mexican fideo soup is a staple in the mexican households. A deliciously brothy and comforting meal like no other. Everyone, young and old, love this soup.

My mom used to make fideo soup (sopita de fideo) at least three times per week for lunchtime. Just as a simple entrée for her wonderful and delicious meals. And so did and still does, almost every mom in Mexico.

Sopa Aguada (mexican soups)

Mexican sopas aguadas (soups) are a comfort food prepared daily in almost every home. Is served as an opening for comida corrida (mexican menu); but sometimes is also served as a main dish, together with avocado slices, queso fresco and cream.

The names for this type of soups can vary, for example can be called sopa aguada, sopa de pasta o sopita. It doesn’t matter because all of them are made with short pasta.

Types of pasta also vary, being fideos (broken spaghetti) the most common. But also other kinds like conchitas (shells), estrellitas, letras, etc. are used for this recipe.

The base is a tomato broth, made with fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and chicken broth. This base sauce is named recaudo and is a staple not only for this kind of soup but also for many other dishes like arroz rojo (red rice) or albóndigas.

Other ingredients might be added to the mix, to make this soup richer. For example diced vegetables or shredded chicken.

How it’s served?

Traditionally, fideo soup is served only with a squeeze of lime and that’s it. But, sometimes -specially if served as a single meal- can be added avocado, a dollop of cream, pickled jalapeños or sprinkled queso fresco.

The Ingredients

FIDEOS – Mexican noodles. They’re basically spaghetti broken into small pieces. Angel hair pasta is also a good option.

RECAUDO – Fresh tomatoes, onions and garlic. Blend with chicken broth. You don’t need to add so much tomatoes, if you do so, you’ll end with a simple pasta with tomato sauce, while sopita is traditionally with lots of broth.

CHICKEN STOCK – I like to use homemade, but from time to time I also use granulated chicken bouillon + hot water.

CILANTRO – This is totally optional but it adds a nice flavour to this soup. You can add a few sprigs when cooking the soup or blend it with the tomato and onion or even add it chopped when serving.

How To Make Sopa de Fideo

Cut the tomato in half and remove the seeds. Place it with the onion and garlic in a blender, add 1 cup of chicken broth and blend until pureed.

Preheat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add pasta and stir to coat with oil. Cook stirring constantly until pasta is nicely browned.

Pour the tomato sauce (recaudo). Let it sizzle while mixing for about half a minute.

Add 3-4 cups of chicken stock (or water + granulated bouillon). Season with salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until fideo pasta is well cooked. Adjust salt to taste and serve immediately.

Make it vegan

Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock. Add some diced veggies to the mix and there you go, a delicious vegan fideo soup for lunchtime!

Serve with a squeeze of lime, diced avocado and chopped green chillies & cilantro.

Make it healthier

Do not fry noodles. Instead toast them at very low heat in a frying pan and then added it as the recipe calls. You can also add them without toasting, even though the consistency of the fideo soup will be a bit different.

Tips and tricks

• This is a brothy soup, so don’t be scared for the amount of stock or water you have to add.
• Eat is as soon as you can. Leaving it to rest makes the pasta to absorb almost all liquid and is not nice.
• If you want a smoky flavour in your fideo soup, roast the tomatoes and onions in a comal or iron skillet.
• If you have leftovers, place them into a container with lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Watch How To Make It