Name: Sopa de Fideo Recipe (Mexican Noodle Soup)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 medium tomatoes (or use 15 ounce can tomato sauce); 1 small onion (chopped); 4 cloves garlic; 1-2 teaspoons ancho powder; 1-2 teaspoons guajillo powder; 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano; Salt to taste; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or use butter); 4 ounces Mexican chorizo (optional); 8 ounces dry fideo noodles (or use vermicelli or similar fine egg noodles); 4 cups chicken stock (use 1.5 cups for more pasta like (fideo seco) – use 6 cups for a soupier sopa de fideo); For Topping. Fresh chopped cilantro, queso fresco, chili flakes, lime wedges, avocado slices, crema. And hot sauce!

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Sopa de fideo is a comforting Mexican noodle soup with thin noodles toasted golden brown, then simmered in a spiced tomato broth, so easy to make.

Spicy Mexican fideo soup in a bowl with a spoon, ready to serve

Sopa de Fideo Recipe (Fideo Soup)

Today we are making a nice pot of Sopa de Fideo in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, and if you love Mexican soups, I think you're going to love this one.

What is Sopa de Fideo?

Sopa de Fideo is a popular Mexican noodle soup served in Mexican homes and restaurants alike. It is a simple dish of noodles that are lightly toasted, then simmered in a tomato-based broth.

You'll also find fideo served in Spain, where it is said to have originated, as well as the Philippines, Texas, and other parts of the United States.

"Fideos" means "noodles" in Spanish. It is mostly served as a soup, though it looks quite like an Italian-style fideo pasta called "fideo seco".

Essentially, the pasta absorbs the saucy broth as it simmers, making it more of a dry soup, or "fideo seco", though you can easily adjust the amount of stock used to make it more pasta like or more soup like, whichever you prefer.

The more traditional fideo soup is served with only the noodles in sauce, though you can add in other ingredients, like meats and vegetables, to round it out.

You'll find some variations from cook to cook. It's an incredibly comforting dish, full of flavor, lots of Mexican spices, and pure satisfaction.

This is how I like to make mine. Such an easy soup!

Let's talk about how to make fideo soup, shall we?

Sopa de Fideo Ingredients

Tomato Sauce. Or you can use chopped or diced tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, you may need more simmering time.
Other Vegetables. Onion and garlic. Toss in some spicy chilies if you'd like.
Chicken Stock. You can use vegetable stock as well.
Seasonings. Ancho powder, guajillo powder, Mexican oregano, and salt.
Vegetable Oil. Or use butter, for cooking.
Mexican Chorizo. Optional. You can omit for a simpler version.
Fideo Noodles. Fideo noodles are thin Mexican noodles that are very similar to vermicelli noodles, though they are cut into much smaller pieces. You can use vermicelli noodles as a substitute, or other similar egg noodles, like angel hair pasta.
For Topping. Fresh chopped cilantro queso fresco, chili flakes, lime wedges for a squeeze of lime juice, avocado slices, crema.

How to Make Sopa de Fideo - the Recipe Method

Make Your Sauce/Broth. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chicken stock, and seasonings to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Strain, if desired, for a smoother sauce/broth.

Blending the tomatoes with the other ingredients makes for a fairly smooth sauce/broth.

Cook the Chorizo. Heat the oil in a large pan or medium pot to medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until mostly cooked through.

Remove the chorizo and set aside for now.

Processing the tomato sauce base and cooking Mexican chorizo to make sopa de fideo

Toast the Noodles. Add the fideo noodles and stir. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until they turn golden brown.

Simmer. Pour in the tomato mixture and cooked chorizo (if using) and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the noodles have absorbed the sauce and are cooked to your preference.

Toasting noodles golden brown in a pan, then simmering them in a saucy, spiced tomato broth to make sopa de fideo

Serve It Up! Remove from heat, garnish and serve.

Boom! Done! Your sopa de fideo is ready to serve. I love how easy this is to put together, and also how you can really customize it with added ingredients.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Make a vegetarian version by omitting the Mexican chorizo and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. You can very easily add in vegetables or black beans to make it a fuller meal.
For a soupier sopa de fideo, use 6 cups of chicken broth with the recipe, and for a thicker, more pasta-like dish, use only 1.5-2 cups of broth, then adjust to your preference.
Consider adding chipotle powder or 1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce to your tomato sauce mixture for a smokier version.

What are Fideo Noodles?

Fideo noodles are thin noodles similar to vermicelli or spaghetti noodles, but cut shorter. They are thinner than spaghetti, closer in thickness to angel hair pasta or vermicelli.

If you cannot find fideo noodles, you can easily make this recipe with angel hair, vermicelli, and even spaghetti noodles.

Storage & Leftovers

This recipe will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It can be easily reheated in a microwave or tossed in a hot pan.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this sopa de fideo recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!

Cookbook Recommendation

If you enjoy Mexican cuisine, I recommend the following cookbook, which I used to adapt this recipe. It has a lot of great recipes.

Made in Mexico: The Cookbook, by Danny Mena (affiliate link, my friends!)

Ingredients Used For This Recipe

Buy Fideo Noodles from Amazon. You can use vermicelli noodles from the grocery store if you can't find fideo noodles.

Amazon Affiliate links, my friends!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

Also try my pozole rojo recipe - I think you'll love it!

Mike taking a scoop of Sopa de Fideo from the hot pan

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this Mexican fideo soup recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Fideo Soup Recipe (Mexican Sopa De Fideo)

Sopa de Fideo Recipe (Mexican Noodle Soup)

Sopa de fideo is a comforting Mexican noodle soup with thin noodles toasted golden brown, then simmered in a spiced tomato broth, so easy to make.

Save Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: noodles, pasta, tomato sauce

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Calories: 244kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings:

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5 from 8 votes

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Ingredients

3 medium tomatoes or use 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 small onion chopped
4 cloves garlic
1-2 teaspoons ancho powder
1-2 teaspoons guajillo powder
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or use butter
4 ounces Mexican chorizo optional
8 ounces dry fideo noodles or use vermicelli or similar fine egg noodles
4 cups chicken stock use 1.5 cups for more pasta like (fideo seco) – use 6 cups for a soupier sopa de fideo
For Topping. Fresh chopped cilantro, queso fresco, chili flakes, lime wedges, avocado slices, crema. And hot sauce!

Instructions

Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and seasonings to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Strain, if desired, for a smoother sauce/broth.
Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until mostly cooked through. Remove the chorizo and set it aside for now.
Add the fideo noodles to the hot pan and stir. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until they turn golden brown.
Pour in the tomato sauce mixture, chicken stock, and cooked chorizo (if using) and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the noodles have absorbed the sauce and are cooked to your preference.
Remove from heat, garnish and serve.

Video

Notes

Nutritional information estimated without garnish or toppings.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 244kcal Carbohydrates: 28g Protein: 11g Fat: 9g Saturated Fat: 3g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 23mg Sodium: 630mg Potassium: 488mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 7g Vitamin A: 1181IU Vitamin C: 16mg Calcium: 40mg Iron: 2mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 4/19/24 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 8/29/22.

Sopa de Fideo (Mexican Noodle Soup)