Sopa de Fideo: Mexican Noodle Soup
A popular noodle-based Mexican soup, the sopa de fideo is made with thin vermicelli noodles or angel hair pasta! This tomato-based soup is perfect for a quick dinner!
The sopa de fideo originated in Spain and made its way to Latin America in the 16th century. It also made its way to other Spanish colonies in Asia such as the province of Cavite in the Philippines.
The soup is also called sopita de fideo or sopa de pollo con fideo.
The Mexican noodle soup is broth-based and made with thin vermicelli noodles or angel hair pasta. It has also been listed in the 1982 version of the Handbook of Mexican American Foods as a Spanish-type side dish made of rice or pasta that has been fried and cooked in a consomme.
What makes this soup different from other noodle soups is the browning process for the noodles. This gives the broken noodles a different texture and adds a depth of flavor to the sopa de fideo.
Enjoy the Mexican sopa de fideo for dinner on some cool evenings. It’s the perfect comfort food!
Recipe Pointers For Mexican Noodle Soup
- For a smoother soup, strain the blended tomato mixture before adding it back to the vessel.
- You can use any tomatoes but Roma tomatoes are the best.
- You can break the noodles into 2-inch long pieces before frying them.
- Add some boiled corn or peas to the soup if you prefer.
- For a meatier version, you can add some boiled and shredded chicken to the soup.
- For a vegetarian version, add some diced carrots, potatoes, or celery.
- Garnish with queso fresco and cilantro, and serve with wedges of lime.
- Or serve with some Mexican crema, guacamole, and some tasty tacos or crusty bread.
FAQs about Sopa de Fideo
What does fideo mean?
Derived from the Arabic word fidáwš, fideo means noodle.
How do you pronounce fideo?
Fideo is pronounced fee-dih-oh.
What is the difference between vermicelli and fideo noodles?
While fideo and vermicelli are both made from durum wheat, fideo are slightly thinner than vermicelli noodles and often cut shorter.
What can I use instead of fideo noodles?
If you cannot find fideo noodles, use vermicelli, thin spaghetti, or angel hair pasta.
Can I make the sopa de fideo vegetarian?
To make sopa de fideo vegetarian, replace the chicken broth with vegetable stock.
Can I make the sopa de fideo richer?
To make the sopa de fideo richer, add a some grated Parmesan cheese to the tomato broth.
What is sopa de fideo seco?
Sopa de fideo seco is a dry version of the Mexican noodle soup that tastes delicious too. To turn this sopa de fideo into a sopa de fideo seco reduce the amount of broth from 4 cups to about 1.5 or 2 cups.
Spoiler: fideo seco is really not a soup.
Can I refrigerate sopa de fideo?
Yes, you can store leftover Mexican noodle soup in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. You can also store it in the freezer for a few months.
Thaw in the fridge before reheating. Although the texture of the noodles changes while thawing, the soup will still taste delicious.
Sopa de Fideo: Mexican Noodle Soup
A popular noodle-based Mexican soup, the sopa de fideo is made with thin vermicelli noodles or angel hair pasta! This tomato-based soup is perfect for a quick dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of vermicelli (thin noodles)
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1/3 cup of white onion
- 4 cups of chicken broth (2 cubes)
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- oil to fry
- Optional garnish: 1/2 cup of crumbled queso fresco + chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Put tomatoes, onion, garlic and salt into a blender and process until smooth.
- Heat up some oil on a frying pan and throw your vermicelli on it. Fry them until they turn slightly brown for about 4 minutes, mixing often.
- Once your vermicelli is cooked add the tomatoes and bring to boil, then reduce heat and cook for 25 minutes.
- Garnish your soup with queso fresco and a bit of cilantro.
Notes
You can strain the blended tomatoes if you want your soup to be smoother.
