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Sopa de Fideo Mexicana
Sopa de Fideo Mexicana is an incredibly simple, flavorful Mexican noodle soup made with a savory tomato-based broth. It is the epitome of kid-friendly comfort food, and takes just 20 minutes to make!
What are fideos?
Fideo means “noodle” in Spanish, most often referring to thin noodles that are similar to spaghetti, vermicelli, or angel hair—except short.
What is fideo soup?
Sopa de fideo or “fideos soup” simply means “noodle soup.” This traditional recipe has deep roots in both Mexican and Spanish culture, with many crediting it to Catalonians in the 1600s. A rich, savory tomato broth is the base for simmering the lightly toasted noodles, giving them a deeper, toastier flavor that is addictive.
This sopita is the classic Mexican pasta soup I grew up eating. It is comforting, nostalgic, filling, and delicious. If you’re familiar with fideo seco where the purée mixture fully evaporates, this recipe for fideos soup is slightly different. You will actually add a bit of liquid so that you can serve the fideos as a yummy, cozy soup that is perfect all year round.
Why You’ll Love This Sopa de Fideo Recipe
- It’s cheap, kid-friendly, ready in less than 20 minutes, and is made in one pot, so clean-up is a snap!
- Unlike canned soups, my sopa de fideos recipe is all-natural, meaning it’s free from any weird preservatives or additives.
- This pantry powerhouse is made with just 10 easy-to-find ingredients, most of which are shelf-stable.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Onion – White onions have the sharpest, most astringent flavor, but you’re welcome to swap in a yellow or red onion if that’s what you have.
- Roma Tomatoes – For a delicious, sweetly acidic soup base. No fresh tomatoes in the house? No problem! Simply swap in whole canned tomatoes instead.
- Garlic – Fresh is best, but the minced jarred stuff will work fine too.
- Chicken Bouillon – I love that chicken bouillon takes up less space than cans or boxes of broth. That said, you’re welcome to use pre-made chicken broth or stock in place of the bouillon and water, or use Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base.
- Tomato Bouillon – For a more intense tomatoey taste. I typically use Knorr Tomato Bouillon powder cubes, but there are lots of new brands on the scene these days. Feel free to throw in a bay leaf for a subtle depth of flavor.
- Cumin Seeds – Whole spices like cumin seeds retain more of their essential oils than ground varieties, so the flavor is more potent. If you need to use ground cumin, feel free to, and also, just use a pinch.
- Fideo Noodles – These short, thin Mexican noodles can often be found with other hispanic ingredients in the international aisle of American grocery stores, and are readily available in Latin supermercados. You’re also welcome to break the long, thin noodles of your choice (e.g. spaghetti or angel hair pasta) into shorter lengths.
- Cilantro – For a touch of bright, fresh herbaceousness. Not a fan of cilantro? Try culantro, or skip it altogether.
- The Basics – Ground black pepper, water, and olive oil are the last few items you need to make this Mexican sopa de fideos.
How to Make Fideo Soup
You’re not going to believe how simple it is to make this classic Mexican sopa de fideo recipe!
Step 1: Make Soup Base. Place onion, tomatoes, garlic, bouillon, pepper, cumin seeds, and 1 cup of water in a blender and puree until smooth.
Step 2: Toast Noodles. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add fideo. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes until fideo is slightly toasted and golden brown—not burned.
Step 3: Reduce Purée. Stir in the puréed tomato sauce to the fideo until the puree thickens and darkens, about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Thin it Out. Add remaining 3 cups of water and bring soup to a boil and continue to stir occasionally.
Step 5: Simmer. Add in cilantro, cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for 10 minutes until pasta is tender.
Step 6: Season & Serve! Check the salt and adjust to taste before serving.
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Optional Variations
This recipe has not been tested with all of these substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
As much as my family loves this Mexican fideo soup recipe, it might not work for your family as written. Here are a few dietary adaptations to try:
- Vegetarian/Vegan – Use your favorite plant-based bouillon substitutes to keep this recipe for sopa de fideo vegan-friendly.
- Gluten-Free – Swap in your favorite gluten-free noodles. I’d recommend opting for a slightly thicker pasta like spaghetti in this case, as some of the thinner varieties can break apart without much cooking at all. Just be aware of the cook times recommended on the back of the package.
- Sopa de Fideos y Pollo – Mexican chicken noodle soup is a close cousin of sopa de fideo. If you’re looking for a heartier soup, you’ll love the addition of chicken drumsticks.
- Spicy Fideo – Try my fideo seco with spicy chipotles.
- Shapes – Feel free to use other small pasta shapes like elbow pasta. When the kids were little, they loved when I made it with alphabet or star-shaped noodles!
- Sopa de Fideo with Ground Beef – Add a few spoonfuls of my favorite Mexican picadillo for an extra hearty meal.
Serving & Topping Suggestions
- I like to serve bowls of this Mexican pasta soup with little more than a lime wedge (lime juice adds brightness) and a fresh corn tortilla.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Don’t miss the toasting step. The biggest flavor secret in this soup is toasting the noodles before simmering them. Just like we toast the rice for arroz rojo, we do the same with the dried fideo to add a toasty, nutty flavor.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. The cook time in step 5 will depend on the width and type of the noodles you use. Make sure to check the instructions on the packet so you don’t accidentally overcook them!
- Scale up. Feeding a crowd? You’re welcome to double or triple the recipe as needed. Just make sure your pot is big enough to handle all the goodness, and work in batches to make the tomato purée so you don’t accidentally spray it all over the walls.
Storage & Heating Instructions
- Any leftovers can be kept in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- You can also keep fideos soup in the freezer for up to three months.
- To reheat, you’ll want to add a bit more water or broth. The longer the fideos sit, the more they’ll soak up.
- Don’t overcook the noodles when you reheat the soup, as they’ll begin to become mushy and fall apart. I recommend straining the noodles out, heating the broth to a boil, turning off the heat, and letting the broth warm the cold noodles up.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the recipe, but at its most basic sopa de fideo is a noodle soup with a tomato-based broth.
“Fideo” means “noodle,” and “sopa” means “soup,” so “sopa de fideo” means “noodle soup.”
It sounds like “soap-PAH day fee-DAY-ohs meh-HE-con-ah.”
You’re welcome to use the thin, short noodles of your choice, but traditional fideos are made like regular spaghetti—using just flour, water, and salt.
This comforting soup recipe has been around for hundreds of years, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where it started. History shows that it is an important recipe in both Spain and Mexico, but it seems to have come to Mexico by way of Spanish conquistadors in the 1600s.
It depends on what your definition of “healthy” is, but I consider this sopa de fideo a nutritious family-friendly meal. My recipe has about 360 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 12 grams of protein per serving—not too shabby! The one thing you may want to keep your eye on is the salt content, since both types of bouillon have a good bit of sodium.
It’ll last about a week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Check the “Storage Instructions” section above for more detail.
This authentic Mexican soup recipe plays well with pretty much any other Mexican food you can think of. That said, I don’t think it needs more than a warm corn tortilla and the salsa of your choice if you like spice.
Absolutely! While I always keep fideos on hand, you can swap in some spaghetti or vermicelli noodles that you break into smaller pieces. Or, if you’re serving a battalion of tiny humans, go for the giggle inducing star or alphabet pasta instead! Trust me, Sopa de Estrellitas or Sopa de Letras are always a hit with the kids.
More Mexican Soup Recipes
- Caldo de Pollo
- Caldo de Res (Beef Soup)
- Veracruz-Style Fish Soup
- Caldo de Pescado y Camaron (Fish and Shrimp Soup)
- Chicken Pozole Verde
- Red Pork and Hominy Stew (Pozole Rojo)
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup)
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Sopa de Fideo
Ingredients
- ½ white onion, quartered
- 3 roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 1 tablespoon tomato bouillon
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch cumin seeds
- 4 cups water, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (7 ounce pack) fideo, thin noodles – see notes
- 6 to 8 cilantro leaves
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Instructions
- In a blender place onion, tomatoes, garlic, bouillon, pepper, cumin seeds, and 1 cup of water; and puree until smooth.
- Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add fideo. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes until fideo is slightly toasted, but not burned.
- Stir in the pureed mixture to the fideo until the puree thickens and darkens, about 5 minutes.
- Add remaining 3 cups of water and bring soup to a boil and continue to stir occasionally.
- Add in cilantro, cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for 10 minutes until pasta is tender.
- Check the salt and adjust to taste before serving.
Video
Notes
- Don’t miss the toasting step. The biggest flavor secret in this soup is toasting the noodles before simmering them. Just like we toast the rice for arroz rojo, we do the same with the dried fideo to add a toasty, nutty flavor.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. The cook time in step 5 will depend on the width and type of the noodles you use. Make sure to check the instructions on the packet so you don’t accidentally overcook them!
- Scale up. Feeding a crowd? You’re welcome to double or triple the recipe as needed. Just make sure your pot is big enough to handle all the goodness, and work in batches to make the tomato purée so you don’t accidentally spray it all over the walls.
- Any leftovers can be kept in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- You can also keep fideos soup in the freezer for up to three months.
- To reheat, you’ll want to add a bit more water or broth. The longer the fideos sit, the more they’ll soak up.
- Don’t overcook the noodles when you reheat the soup, as they’ll begin to become mushy and fall apart. I recommend straining the noodles out, heating the broth to a boil, turning off the heat, and letting the broth warm the cold noodles up.
- Vegetarian or vegan sopa de fideo – Swap the chicken bouillon for more of the tomato bouillon or substitute vegetable bouillon instead. Also, most noodles are vegan by nature – just check the label to ensure that your noodles are egg free.
- Gluten free fideos soup – As long as your noodles are gluten free, you should be in the clear. I’d recommend opting for a slightly thicker pasta like spaghetti in this case, as some of the thinner varieties can break apart without much cooking at all. Just be aware of the cook times as recommended on the back of the package.
- Other shapes of pasta – While I always keep fideos on hand, you can swap in some spaghetti or vermicelli noodles that you break into smaller pieces. Or, if you’re serving a battalion of tiny humans, go for the giggle inducing star or alphabet pasta instead! Trust me, Sopa de Estrellitas or Sopa de Letras are always a hit with the kids.
12 Comments on “Sopa de Fideo Mexicana”
Mi Madre’s recipe exactly! I always add sharp cheddar cheese cubes to my bowl…ay, qué rico!
Loved this recipe! It was almost exactly like how my grandma’s treated. I will be making this often for are.
I make this for my mexican/American boyfriend. He loves it. I make it a little thicker than soup. Its great. Reminds me of spaghetti o’s.
Why does my fideo gets dried up by the next day or even a few hours later??? Thanks
I am watching my sodium daily intake. . . .Is there a substitute for the tomato bouillon powder? It contains a lot of sodium per 1tsp serving. There must be a way to make a healthier, less salty version. . .Thank you in advance for your help.
I’d suggest a bit of double concentrated tomato paste. The kind sold in tubes.
Finally made this and it was soooo good! Since I make it for adults, next time I’ll add 1/2 Serrano chile and char that along with the tomato, onion & garlic first. I also added extra bouillon & water to make more liquid (I like broth!) . Love this recipe!
Ok so I made this. And I always make fideo,but with different seasonings. This was freakin good. Thank you so much. However, I was cookin some other stuff at the same time, and I accidentally put oregano instead of cilantro. I didn’t realize it till after we ate. LOL BUT let me tell you it was pretty good with oregano. Thnx for the recipe, my husband thought I was makin Chile.
I didn’t have cumin seed so I used a pinch of ground cumin. The recipe was easy and delicious. I made it as an after school meal for my college student and was worried the meatless meal would be frowned upon. It was a smashing success!
My grand mother would add potatoes for the kids
Thank you so much for sharing this! It reminds me so much of my mom’s sopa. My kids absolutely loved it and can’t wait for me to make it again.
Mom used to make fideo with ground beef, with little pieces of beef she would chop, with cheese, or just like this. Either way it was always delious.