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Sopa de Fideo is a super classic Mexican staple, and today I’m sharing my Abuela’s recipe! You guys loved her sopa de arroz (Mexican rice), and this recipe is equally as good!
This is somewhat of a “struggle meal” as it’s extremely affordable to make, but also tasty and comforting. My Abuela made this for us a lot as kids, and to this day I get such a nostalgic feeling every time I have it.
What is Sopa de Fideo?
Sope de Fideo is a Mexican soup made with lightly toasted thin pasta noodles in a delicious and comforting tomato broth. I prefer my sopa de fideo more on the thin soupy side, but some people like it thicker and less soupy.
For a lot of Mexicans, this dish brings so many wonderful memories of our childhood. It reminds me so much of the authentic Mexican flavors I grew up eating, and I always think of my Abuela!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s SO easy! You don’t need that many ingredients, and it can be ready in 20 minutes.
- It’s child-friendly! Children love this dish, especially when made with alphabet or star shaped pasta!
- It can be prepped and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and reheated for quick meals.
- It’s extremely affordable
- This can be used as a base for a heartier meal- just add ingredients like potatoes and/or ground beef to make it a complete meal!
Ingredients
- Fideo pasta- also called vermicelli (not to be confused with vermicelli rice noodles). It comes in 7 oz bags at Walmart for 50 cents! If you can’t find it, you can also use angel hair pasta and break it into smaller pieces, or buy it on Amazon (but it’s kinda pricey).
- Neutral oil– a little oil to lightly fry the fideo, which brings out a nice toasty flavor. Any neutral oil is fine but I recommend avocado or olive oil.
- Tomatoes, garlic, and onion- blended to make a tomato salsa.
- Canned tomato sauce- I use half a can of El Pato hot tomato sauce for a couple reasons- when tomatoes are not in season, a little help from canned tomato sauce is needed for more flavor. I also prefer using the hot tomato sauce for a little spicy kick. It’s still mild in flavor overall, but with a tiny bit of heat.
- Seasoning- you only need salt and Knorr chicken bouillon for this recipe.
- Water– you can use chicken broth instead of water here, but I prefer using Knorr chicken bouillon + water simply because it’s convenient and I always have it.
- Cilantro- not required, but this definitely adds some great flavor!
Optional toppings
- Corn tortilla with mayo- this is my preferred way to eat fideo.
- Cheese– it’s pretty common to add cheese! Queso fresco or cotija are great options.
- Cilantro- cilantro is already boiled into the soup, but some fresh chopped cilantro to finish always nice.
- Crema- aka sour cream, this is how my family ate fideo growing up.
- Bananas- ok, I know it sounds weird but this is actually not that uncommon in Mexico. My family grow up eating fideo with bananas too. Try it!
More easy soup recipes
If you like this recipe, try some of my other easy soup recipes on the blog!
Sopa de Fideo
Ingredients
- 1 (7 oz package) fideo pasta , or angel hair pasta, broken up
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, avocado oil recommended
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce, El Pato hot tomato sauce recommended for a little kick
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 small onion
- 4 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon
- 6-7 cups water
- salt to taste, 1/2 tsp recommended
- cilantro
Optional Toppings/Sides
- cilantro
- sour cream
- banana slices
- tortilla with mayo
- queso fresco or cotija cheese
Instructions
- Combine the roma tomatoes, onion, garlic, and Knorr chicken bouillon and blend until smooth. You should have about 1 cup of tomato sauce. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and remove leftover solids.*If you prefer a thicker texture, don't strain the tomato sauce. I like my fideo more on the soupy, thinner side so I always strain it.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the fideo pasta and move it around frequently for 2-3 minutes until it becomes a light brown color.
- Pour in the blended tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of canned tomato sauce (I recommend El Pato Hot Tomato Sauce for a little spicy kick). Cook for 1-2 minutes and adjust the heat if needed.
- Add 6 to 7 cups of water and stir to combine. Taste the soup and add salt as needed. I add about 1/2 tsp. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the cilantro, then cover and reduce the heat to low for 10 minutes or until the fideo is cooked through.
- Serve immediately with your choice of toppings. My family eats it with bananas and sour cream, but I also love it with a corn tortilla and mayo!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
love it. reminds me of my childhood. now that I have children of my own I make it often for them. it’s a great recipe to have on hand when you need to stretch your grocery budget. its always a hit at our house. we enjoy it with quesadillas on the side.
Love this recipe!!
This is a classic soup that everyone should know how to make. There are a lot of combinations, but your recipe is the basic flavor. I like to add beef broth, but it depends on my mood and my cravings 😹😹😹 thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sopita de fideo is a Mexican comfort food! It’s always the go to for kids or a cold day. We always like to top it off with some cilantro, queso fresco and eat it with tortillas de masa , BOMB! Thanks for sharing this recipe, I love it!
My sister’s ex’s family used to share this dish with her all the time, and when I found out she was craving its comforting flavor, this is the recipe I followed. Happy to say it came out tasting just how she remembered! Now, it’s on regular rotation in our house. It brings a healing flavor to heartbreak, migraines, and busy workdays. Thank you for sharing it! ☺️
Sopa de fideo is such a nostalgic soup for me! Especially when crema or mayo is added. Takes me back to my childhood days. With your recipe, I was able to improve my own! And now that I’ve had my daughter, I can’t wait to introduce this sopa to her! I hope it brings her memories like it did for me. Thank you Stella!
Stella love everything you create, I especially love the Mexican/Korean infusion this sopa was super easy to make and comforting.
PATOOOO SAUCE!??? tired it. Actually very tasty 😜 I add dried laurel as well. I customized my moms with these two items so now I call it mine lol every Mexican has a way they make it nothing can ever be considered original. Everything is changed or altered to their liking.
As a Mexican, I’ve eaten sopa thousands of times. It wasn’t until this recipe that I started making my own and adding my favorite stuff like habanero and spinach to it. Thanks for sharing your recipes for us to learn!
I’m Mexican myself and I usually make it different and I tried this recipe and I loved it. It’s a must.!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to all your recipes. my favorite is the crispy rice chicken. want to make the sopa de fidao with my daughter really glad I found you on IG.