Skip to Content

How to make Mexican Traditional Sopa de Fideo

Cuisine: Mexican

 The Sopa de fideo, also named as “Sopita de fideo”, is a flavorful warm Mexican noodle soup, is prepared using browned noodles and a tangy tomato base. It is savory and perfect for one person or even an entire family. Just like the tomato soup with grilled cheese is served in the U.S, the Sopa de fideo is comfort food served for lunch.

Almost everyone in Mexico, young and old, has grown up eating Sopa de fideo, and up to date, it is still enjoyed as an essential component of their Comida. The Sopa de fideo will be served in almost all Mexican restaurants and homes and is one of the main dish favorites for the people. The soup is very easy to prepare and will only use a few ingredients, making it inexpensive. It is a healthy and fine one-pot delicacy.

Fideo is a thin Mexican noodle that is comparable to thin spaghetti or angel hair. Fideo is commonly found in grocery stores. Sopa is Spanish for soup. Fideo noodles are round, short, and are made into small edible sizes.

 

How to prepare your Sopa de Fideo

 What makes this Mexican delicacy authentic is the flavor. Making Sopa de Fideo requires pureed tomatoes and real chicken broth, but one can use canned tomatoes, real tomatoes, and chicken bouillon as shortcuts. Powdered bouillon is acceptable but will not give you the authentic taste you want. For the best results and a happier you, make it from scratch.

 

Ingredient List

 

4 Servings

  • 8 oz. packages of fideos (Mexican-style noodles). These can be substituted by vermicelli noodles, spaghetti, or angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces.
  • 2 ripe plum or Roma tomatoes
  • ¼ ground cumin( optional) for adding to the broth
  • ½ tsp oregano(optional) for adding to the broth
  • ¼ medium white or yellow onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 8 cups, homemade chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3 tbsp, vegetable cooking oil or olive oil
  • Salt to taste. You will need enough salt depending on how much broth you have to use.

 

For the garnish

  • 4 halved limes
  • 1 tbsp sour cream(optional)
  • 1 avocado, sliced or diced(optional)

 

Equipment

  • Kitchen knife
  • A medium soup pot or a high-sided nonstick skillet with a lid. If you have an instant pot, you can use it.
  • Cooking spoon.
  • Ladle
  • Soup bowls to serve
  • Spatula
  • Strainer or colander
  • Blender
  • Cutting or chopping board

 

Preparation Method and Cooking Instructions

 

Difficulty: Easy

 

Preparation time: Approx. 5 minutes

 

Cook time: Approx. 30 minutes

 

Total time: Approx. 35 minutes

 

  1. Using your cutting board, cut the tomatoes into halves and seed them. Puree the onion, garlic, and the tomatoes by pulsing them in a blender for about 30 seconds or until smooth and set aside.
  2. Place your skillet on the stovetop, add the cooking oil and preheat it over a medium-low heat. Add the noodles and stir until thoroughly coated with the oil. Keep stirring and fry them until they turn golden brown and some strands are deeply browned. Browning will add an extra depth of flavor. You can add your spices during the start of this step for them to be incorporated as the soup is cooked.
  3. To assemble the soup, using your strainer, strain the pureed mixture into your browned noodles. You can strain the puree into a different bowl as you prepare the noodles to save time.
  4. Add in the chicken or vegetable broth while stirring.
  5. Add the salt to your taste and bring the soup to a light boil.
  6. Cover the soup, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow it to simmer for up to 10 minutes or until the noodles are tender and the soup has reduced somewhat.
  7. Check and adjust the spices and salt before serving if necessary. Serve and Enjoy!

 

Serving Instructions and Suggestions

 

Mealtime and course: Serve the soup during lunch or dinner as a side or main dish.

  • In medium-size soup bowls, serve the soup while hot with lime halves. Adding a squirt of the lime juice will bring the flavors together. To finish, add a pinch of queso fresco or the diced avocado for a nice touch.
  • Other excellent accompaniments: Warm corn tortillas, quesadillas, a grilled cheese sandwich, baked taquitos, and beef flauta.

Tricks and pro tips

 

Ingredient Substitutions                        

  • Use vermicelli noodles, thin spaghetti, or angel hair pasta to substitute the “fideos.”
  • If you do not have homemade chicken broth, use canned low-sodium chicken.
  • For a quick version, use ½ cup of tomato paste and water instead of the tomatoes, onion, and broth.

 

Additions and extra touches

  • You can choose to add chopped carrots and peas for a heartier soup.
  • You can top up the soup with diced or sliced avocado, lime juice, and finely chopped fresh cilantro.
  • Add grated cheese and spices such as cayenne, black pepper, chili, or any other seasoning you prefer for a distinct flavor and color.
  • For a heartier Sopa de fideo, add shredded chicken.
  • For a richer flavor, use pureed roasted tomatoes.
  • If you are a vegetarian, make a vegetarian Sopa de fideo by using vegetable broth.
  • White or yellow onions yield the best flavor.

Do not overcook the soup. For an electric pressure cooker, it should be ready in less than ten minutes.

 Nutrition

Serving size: 1 cup

  • Calories: 234.5kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 21.5g
  • Protein: 10g
  • Fat: 8.5g
  • Sodium: 84mg
  • Sugar: 1g

 

Storage

You can store the leftover soup by refrigerating it in an airtight container for 3-4 days. The soup can be frozen for 3-4 months but bear in mind that the noodle texture will be altered. However, the flavors will be contained. Always ensure that you allow it to cool to room temperature before refrigeration or freezing. When freezing, use freezer-safe containers or bags and leave some space for expansion.

When you need to serve the food after refrigeration, reheat using a microwave or over medium-low heat. After freezing, thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight and reheat it before serving.