This sopa de fideo recipe is a comforting Mexican noodle soup made with lightly toasted noodles simmered in a seasoned tomato broth, easy to make.
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.
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.
"Fideos" means "noodles" in Spanish. It is mostly served as a soup, though it looks quite like an Italian pasta.
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.
Let's talk about how to make sopa de fideo, shall we?
Sopa de Fideo Ingredients
- Tomato Sauce. Or you can use chopped 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, 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.
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 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.
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.
Storage
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 aloo gobi 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!)
Tools Used For This Recipe
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends!
- Buy Fideo Noodles from Amazon. You can use vermicelli noodles from the grocery store.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this 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.
Sopa de Fideo Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium tomatoes or use 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 cups chicken stock use 1.5 cups for more pasta like – use 6 cups for a soupier sopa de fideo
- 1 teaspoon ancho powder
- 1 teaspoon 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
- For Topping. Fresh chopped cilantro queso fresco, chili flakes, lime wedges, avocado slices, crema.
Instructions
- 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.
- Heat the oil in a large pan to medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until mostly cooked through.
- Add the fideo noodles and stir. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until they turn golden brown.
- Pour in the tomato sauce mixture and 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Shelby Cearley says
I made this for my family earlier this week. My father, who generally is quite nervous about *anything* with chiles in it, thought it was amazing, and I couldn’t agree more. This was surprisingly easy to make, and the lovely soup liquid absorbed into the video while it was in the fridge overnight, so it was soupy the first night and pasta-like the next day. This is definitely going into my recipe rotation, and I’m about to make a batch for lunches next week. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
So happy to hear this, Shelby! Glad your father and family enjoyed it. A keeper for sure!
Ruth W. Thomas says
This recipe is truly amazing. I tried it and it turned out very nice.
Mike H. says
Thank you, Ruth. I appreciate it!
Bev Anderson says
This dish was like Mexican spaghetti. I used Angel Hair pasta that was broken in quarters. Added some shredded chicken to give it a little more protein. Delicious and easy to make. I imagine the leftovers will be even better than it was the first time. Those flavors will meld together wonderfully. Mike, I'm not sure why the noodles are toasted. I thought the texture was the same as untoasted noodles, but maybe the toasted noodles added another layer of flavor.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Bev! Toasting does add a flavor layer, like toasting rice in some dishes.
TheBishop says
Love this recipe. I made it last Friday and it came out wonderful. Next time I will double the sauce to make it more soup like. I added more broth but it takes away from the rich wonderful flavors of the tomato sauce. I will definitely make again and soon.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Robert Beaulieu says
Mike, since the start of the COVID pandemic when the country was basically shut down, together with our neighbors we started what we call Humpday Happy Hour. We've been getting together, usually in our driveway every Wednesday since March 2020. Each of us brings some form of a snack and whatever beverage we would like. Typically, we send out a reminder on Monday and I announce whatever snack I will serve. Many times, I have featured one of your recipes and often I am asked for a copy of the recipe. Great stuff....keep 'em coming.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome to hear, Robert! I love it. Thanks for sharing!