Muy Bueno: Fiestas 
Fideo Seco
Spicy, smoky, and topped with creamy adornments like crema, queso fresco, and avocado, Fideo Seco is the spaghetti-like Mexican pasta dish you didn’t know you’ve been missing.
Perfect for serving as a budget-friendly main or a cozy side dish, this recipe for fideo noodles in tomato-chipotle sauce is destined to become a family favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Without fail, there was always a starchy side of frijoles (and usually rice) on our plates growing up. Every lucky once in a while, my grandma and mom would make a tomato-broth and noodle soup called sopa de fideo (we called it sopita for short).
Made with a base of just 7 easy-to-find and inexpensive ingredients, fideo pasta is a perfect meal for when your kitchen is *almost* bare. Best of all, the whole recipe will be ready to serve in just 30 minutes, making it one of my favorite weeknight wonders.
What is Fideo Seco?
This fideo recipe, on the other hand, is called fideo seco — literally “dry noodles.” I only heard of fideo seco on my trip to Oaxaca, and boy am I ever glad I did. It was out of this world delicious with a spicy and smoky kick.
Similar to making Mexican rice, the fideos noodles are toasted to impart a nutty flavor, and then cooked in a tomato-chipotle purée until the sauce is absorbed. The consistency is moist but not soupy with a bit of a crunch where the noodles stick to the pan. In other words, it’s comfort food at its finest.
This elegant yet rustic pasta is then garnished with avocado, crumbled queso fresco, a drizzle of crema, and sprinkled with onion and cilantro for a dish that is impossible to forget. If you make it once, you’re sure to be hooked!
Ingredients & Substitutions
As promised, you only need a handful of ingredients to make this delectable vegetarian Mexican noodle dish. Here’s what to grab:
- Roma Tomatoes – Any meaty tomato will work here. If the fresh tomatoes at your grocery store are looking sad, feel free to use canned whole roma tomatoes instead.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce – This is a staple pantry ingredient in any Mexican kitchen. Since you’re only using one, make sure to freeze the rest for adding pep to other recipes in the future. I suggest using an ice cube tray so you can always pull out just enough for whatever your recipe calls for.
- Olive Oil – Perfect for toasting your noodles and adding richness to this otherwise humble meal.
- Fideos – If you can’t find Spanish or Mexican fideos at the store, long thin pasta like angel hair will absolutely work. Just break it down into smaller pieces before starting.
- White Onion – You can also swap in yellow onion if needed. Feel free to use frozen onions to cut back on prep time!
- Garlic – Fresh is best, but jarred minced garlic is a close stand-in.
- Dried Oregano – If possible, opt for Mexican oregano for the most authentic flavor. Marjoram is a close second, but regular Greek or Italian oregano will also work.
- Salt & Black Pepper – For seasoning.
Serving & Topping Suggestions
While this fideo seco pasta is delicious on its own, the real magic happens when you pile on your favorite toppings.
- Queso Fresco – Salty, creamy, and bright on the plate.
- Avocado – Rich and creamy with a buttery consistency.
- Crema Mexicana – A drizzle of crema adds serious luxury. Feel free to swap in sour cream or Greek yogurt thinned out with a touch of cream or milk.
- Cilantro – For herbaceous freshness. Feel free to use parsley if you prefer.
- Chopped Onion – For crunch and piquancy.
How To Make Fideo Seco
Step 1: Make Sauce Base. Blend tomatoes, chipotle chile, sauce, and water until smooth.
Step 2: Toast Fideos in oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir until fideo is slightly toasted, but not burned. Transfer fideo to a bowl and reserve.
Step 3: Sauté Aromatics. Add the onions and garlic to skillet. Stir until onions are translucent.
Step 4: Assemble & Cook. Add tomato purée and seasonings to the pan. Stir and let the mixture come to a boil. Add fideo and continue to boil for 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
Step 5: Serve fideo seco topped with the garnishes of your choice.
Expert Tips
- Toast your noodles. This simple step does add a few minutes onto the prep, but it’s well worth every second of minimal effort. The warmth and oil combine with the dry pasta to create a warm, toasty flavor that is impossible to replicate.
- Watch your pot. Much like making risotto, fideos need some babysitting. Make sure to stay nearby as they suck up all the flavorful chipotle-tomato sauce, stirring on occasion to help things cook evenly.
Optional Variations
As much as we love this fideo recipe just as written, there’s room for you to make it your own. Here are a few variations I often get asked about:
- Vegan – While this recipe is naturally vegetarian, simply omit the cheese and crema (or use your favorite vegan substitutions) to make it entirely plant-based.
- Gluten-Free Fideos – Swap in your favorite GF angel hair or thin spaghetti broken into small fideos.
- Purely Pantry – If you want to make this recipe using only pantry ingredients, make sure to stock up on canned whole tomatoes, frozen onions, and jarred minced garlic.
- Fideo Tacos or Fideo Tortas – If you love carbs on carbs (who doesn’t?!?), load your fideos into warm corn tortillas or crusty bolillos, then top with all your favorite garnishes for a hearty meal.
Storage & Heating Instructions
- Any leftovers can be kept in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- To reheat, you might need to add a bit of water or broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes called fidelanza or fedelini in Italy, fideo is a particular shape of pasta that is short, thin, and slightly curved. If you are unable to find it in your grocery store, vermicelli (angel hair) or thin spaghetti can absolutely be used instead, but you’ll want to break it into shorter pieces.
Aside from that, the primary difference between Italian spaghetti and this Mexican pasta dish is that fideos seco is a recipe where the pasta is cooked directly in a tomato-chipotle sauce, whereas spaghetti is usually boiled in water and then topped with a tomato-based marinara sauce. The fideos absorb the liquid from the broth, then dry out and become a bit crunchy on the edges as they continue to cook.
Absolutely! It should keep well in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Feel free to reheat it using a pan on the stovetop or the microwave, then top with your desired garnishes before serving.
More Mexican Pasta Recipes
- Spicy Cilantro Pesto Pasta
- Pasta con Pollo (Chicken Pasta)
- Espagueti Verde (Green Spaghetti with Poblano Cream Sauce)
Fideo Seco
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 7-ounce package fideo
- ¼ white onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Topping options:
- Crumbled queso fresco
- Avocado slices
- Crema Mexicana
- Cilantro
- Chopped onion
Instructions
- In a blender add tomatoes, chipotle chile, sauce, and water and puree until smooth.
- Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add fideo. Stir until fideo is slightly toasted, but not burned.
- Transfer fideo to a bowl and reserve.
- Add the onions and garlic to skillet. Stir until onions are translucent.
- Add tomato puree, salt, pepper, and oregano. Stir and let mixture come to a boil. Add fideo and continue to boil for 15 minutes until liquid absorbs.
- Serve fideo topped with toppings of your choice.
Notes
- Vegan – While this recipe is naturally vegetarian, simply omit the cheese and crema (or use your favorite vegan substitutions) to make it entirely plant-based.
- Gluten-Free Fideos – Swap in your favorite GF angel hair or thin spaghetti broken into small fideos.
- Purely Pantry – If you want to make this recipe using only pantry ingredients, make sure to stock up on canned whole tomatoes, frozen onions, and jarred minced garlic.
- Fideo Tacos or Fideo Tortas – If you love carbs on carbs (who doesn’t?!?), load your fideos into warm corn tortillas or crusty bolillos, then top with all your favorite garnishes for a hearty meal.
Photography: Jenna Sparks
Originally published: January 2018.
10 Comments on “Fideo Seco”
The best recipe for fideo I’ve made. So flavorful and easy to make.
Did you have a recipe like this one but also included Mexican sauage?
Do you have a cookbook with recipes to make Mexican breads
What can I substitute the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce? I’m not a fan of the flavor.
Thank you
If using canned tomatoes, what size. Husband LOVES Fideo Seco. This recipe is a little different than I make it, so anxious to try. Been looking for this recipe.
A small can of whole tomatoes should work — just count 4 canned tomatoes 😉
I remember eating fideo “seco” when I was a little girl. My uncles would make it for us when my mom and my grandmother would work in the fields. I make it with less ingredients. Toast fideo with oil until golden brown. Remove oil access. Use 3/4 can of tomato sauce and hot sauce such as Cholua. I like my fideo spicy so I add a lot of hot sauce. My son makes it now. He calls it crunchy Fideo. I love the sound of the fideo sizzling as I pour the sauces.
Fideo with beans is a staple in most mexican kitchens my kids love it ..
With the addition of cheese and jalapeños it’s good
I like make my fideo “seco.” This recipe sounds delicious. I will have to make. Thank you.
I remember having this dish in Oaxaca, loved them, thank you for bringing this recipe home, can’t wait to make it.