Sopa de Fideo (Mexican Noodle Soup)

Hello, and welcome to my kitchen! Today, we’re making something that feels like a warm hug: Sopa de Fideo, or Mexican Noodle Soup.

If you’ve never had it, just picture the most comforting soup you can imagine. This is the stuff of childhood memories for so many people. It’s that simple, tomatoey, noodle-filled soup that Mexican grandmas have been making forever. It’s pure comfort food.

I was introduced to Sopa de Fideo years ago by a friend whose abuela made it for us when we were feeling under the weather. One spoonful, and I understood. It’s more than just soup. It’s a bowl of love.

The real secret? It’s all about toasting the noodles first. It might sound like a weird extra step, but trust me, it’s what gives the soup its amazing nutty flavor and keeps the noodles from getting mushy. It’s a non-negotiable step in my house!

The version we’re making today is a classic, but I like to toss in some Mexican zucchini to make it a bit more of a one-pot meal. It’s fresh, filling, and best of all, it’s on the table in about 30 minutes.

Let’s get started.

Recipe Snapshot

This soup is as easy as it gets. Seriously. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect.

Difficulty: Super Easy. If you can boil water and turn on a blender, you can absolutely nail this. It’s a perfect recipe for a beginner cook.

Time Breakdown:

• Prep Time: 5-10 minutes (mostly just chopping an onion and zucchini)
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: About 40 minutes from start to finish

How much does it make? This recipe whips up about 13 cups of soup. That’s enough for 4 really big bowls or 6 smaller ones. It’s also super easy to change the amounts.

Need to feed an army or just want leftovers for lunch all week? Just double everything. It’s that simple.

Servings	Angel Hair Pasta	Diced Tomatoes	Onion	Garlic Cloves	Veg. Stock	Diced Zucchini
2 (small batch)	4 oz.	1 cup	¼	1-2	5 cups	½
4 (this recipe)	8 oz.	2 cups	½	3	10 cups	1
8 (large batch)	16 oz.	4 cups	1 whole	6	20 cups	2

What You’ll Need

Essential Kitchen Tools:

• A big pot or Dutch oven. Something with a heavy bottom is best because it heats up evenly and helps toast the noodles without burning them.
• Blender. This is for making that super smooth tomato broth. An immersion blender works too, just be careful with the hot liquid!
• Fine-mesh strainer. Okay, this is my pro-tip. It’s not 100% necessary, but if you want that silky smooth, traditional broth, you’ll want to use this. It makes a difference.

Want to prep ahead? You totally can. Blend the tomato base (the onion, garlic, and tomatoes) and store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, you just have to toast the noodles and simmer. Easy peasy.

The Heart of the Soup: Your Ingredients

Great soup comes from good ingredients. Let’s break down what we’re using.

For the Noodles:

You’ll need 8 oz. of Angel hair pasta or whole wheat thin spaghetti. Traditionally, the soup uses “fideo” noodles, which are basically just short, thin noodles.1 Angel hair is a perfect stand-in. The fun part? You get to break it into little 1-inch pieces. It’s a great way to get a little stress out!

For the Broth:

• Tomatoes: One 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes or about 2 cups of fresh diced tomatoes.² Honestly, I use canned all the time because it’s easy. But if you have some gorgeous Roma tomatoes sitting on your counter, use them! The flavor will be amazing.
• Aromatics: Half a white onion and 3 peeled garlic cloves.³ These are the flavor foundation. They get blended up with the tomatoes and make the whole kitchen smell incredible.
• Stock: 10 cups of vegetable stock. The broth is a huge part of the soup, so use a good one! This keeps the recipe vegetarian, but chicken stock is also delicious and very traditional if you prefer.

The Add-Ins:

• Zucchini: One diced Mexican zucchini (sometimes called calabacita). It’s a tender little squash that adds a nice freshness. If you can’t find it, a regular zucchini works just fine.
• Lime: One lime, cut into wedges, for serving. Do not skip this part. A squeeze of lime at the end wakes everything up and makes the flavors pop.

Let’s Make Some Soup! A Step-by-Step Guide

Alright, apron on? Let’s cook this thing. I’ll walk you through it.

Step 1: Get the Stock Ready

First things first, pour your 10 cups of vegetable stock into a medium pot and get it simmering over low heat. Keeping the stock hot on a back burner means the soup will come together much faster later.

Step 2: Toast Those Noodles!

This is the most important part. Place your big pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil (optional, but it helps). Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add your 8 oz. of broken-up pasta.

Now, stir. And keep stirring. You want to move the pasta around constantly so every single piece gets a beautiful, nutty, golden-brown color. This should take about 3 minutes. The biggest mistake you can make is walking away right now. Pasta can go from golden to burnt in a flash, so stay with it! Your nose will tell you when it’s ready—the smell is amazing.

Step 3: Blend the Sauce

While you’re keeping an eye on the noodles, let’s make the tomato base. In your blender, combine the tomatoes, the chopped onion, garlic cloves, and about 2 cups of your hot vegetable stock. Blend it on high until it’s perfectly smooth.

Step 4: Strain and Sizzle

Here comes that pro-tip. Place a fine-mesh strainer over the pot with your toasted noodles. Carefully pour the blended tomato mixture through the strainer. Use the back of a spoon to push all the liquid through, leaving any pesky seeds or skins behind.

You’ll hear a loud sizzle as the sauce hits the hot noodles. That’s the sound of deliciousness! Stir it all together right away to keep the noodles from sticking. Let it simmer for a minute.

Step 5: Bring it all Together

Pour in the remaining 8 cups of hot stock. Turn the heat up to high, add your diced zucchini, and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Once it’s bubbling, reduce the heat a bit and let it cook until the noodles are al dente—tender, but with a little bite. This usually takes 10-12 minutes.

Give it a final taste. Does it need anything? Now’s the time to add salt and pepper until you love it.

Make It Your Own: Fun Variations

This soup is a great starting point. Here are a few ways to switch things up:

• Want it spicier? Add a chipotle pepper in adobo or half a jalapeño to the blender with the tomatoes. A pinch of chili powder also adds a nice smoky warmth.
• Need more protein? Shredded chicken is a classic addition. Browned ground beef or some spicy Mexican chorizo would also be fantastic.
• Load it with veggies. Feel free to add more! Diced carrots and potatoes are great, but add them with the stock since they need more time to cook. A handful of frozen corn or spinach tossed in at the end is also a nice touch.
• Going Gluten-Free? Easy. Just use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti. Be extra gentle when toasting, as it can be a bit more fragile.

Serving and Storing Your Soup

Now for the best part: eating it! Ladle the soup into bowls and let everyone build their own perfect bite.

I love to set out a bunch of toppings:

• Fresh chopped cilantro
• Crumbled cotija cheese (or feta)
• Creamy sliced avocado
• A spoonful of Mexican crema or sour cream

And of course, those lime wedges!

This soup is amazing with warm corn tortillas for dipping.

What about leftovers? They’re fantastic! Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. A quick heads-up: the noodles are thirsty, so they will soak up a lot of the broth overnight. The soup will get much thicker. Some people (like me!) love it this way. When you reheat it, you can add a splash of water or more broth to thin it out again.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing the finished soup because the noodles can get a little mushy. But you can definitely freeze the blended tomato base! It’ll keep for up to 3 months and makes your next soup night even faster.

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