Sopa de fideo is Mexican noodle soup cooked in a light tomato broth. It’s an authentically traditional vegan recipe that’s incredibly delicious.
Plus it’s inexpensive, quick and easy to prepare. So you can have it on the table in about 30 minutes.
What is Sopa de Fideo
Sopa (pronounced soh-paw) means soup in Spanish. Fideo (pronounced fee-deh-oh) means noodles. Sopa de fideo!
This is one of those dishes that every Mexican grows up eating. Mexican moms often serve it for lunch. It may even make an appearance at the dinner table on chilly nights.
This is one of the most basic and popular Mexican recipes. The soup is so easy to make because the ingredients are few and they won’t break the budget!
Ingredients Used to Make Fideo Soup
To make this soup you only need about 7 ingredients. Isn’t that great?!
Yes of course there’s variations to the recipes. But these are the most basic and commonly used ingredients.
- tomatoes (preferably roma tomatoes)
- onion (white is most common in Mexico)
- garlic
- fideo noodles
- salt
- water
- broth (or a bouillon cube or bouillon powder)
Additional ingredients like spices or herbs like cilantro may also be added.
How to Make Sopa de Fideo from Scratch
It’s incredibly easy!
- The tomato, onion, garlic and water are blended to make the sauce.
- The fideo is lightly browned
- The blended tomato sauce is added then allowed to simmer with the vermicelli.
- Next the broth, salt and any additional herbs are added and soup simmered until the fideo is tender.
- Now you’re ready to enjoy!
Why is The Pasta Cooked in Oil
First thing you need to know about this is not to skip this step!
So the reason for cooking the noodles like this is to lightly toast or brown them.
This helps prevent the noodles from getting mushy once simmered with the tomato sauce and water.
Additionally this step adds a hint of nuttyness to the soup. It’s delicious, trust me!
How to Serve Sopa
You can give your sopa an additional boost of flavors with toppings and sides.
For vegan toppings you can add avocado, pickled jalapeños, and a drizzle of lime juice.
Vegetarian topping options are sour cream and queso fresco or cotija cheese. You could add these plus the vegan toppings for a burst of flavours.
If you want crema but want a vegan option you can make my Mexican crema recipe.
If you’d like you can also serve warm corn tortillas on the side.
How to Store Fideo Soup Leftovers
You can store any leftovers in the refrigerator. First allow the soup to come to cool down before pouring into an airtight container.
Leftovers will keep fresh for days. But because this is pasta you really don’t want to let it go past 3 days before they noodles absorb all of the broth.
Sopa de Fideo Recipe
This is one of the easiest soup recipes you’ll ever make!
Sopa de Fideo Recipe
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce Ingredients
- 3 whole Roma tomatoes cut into 1/4ths
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 3/4 cup water
Soup Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil
- one 7.05 oz pack of fideo
- 5 cups vegetable broth store bought or homemade
- 2 sprigs cilantro optional
- salt to taste in total I used about 1 teaspoon — keep in mind the saltiness of the broth you use
Topping Options
Vegan
- 1 Pickled jalapeños
- 1 teaspoon vegan sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons avocado
Vegetarian
- Any of the above but use regular crema fresca instead of vegan
- 1 Tablespoon crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
Instructions
Tomato Sauce Instructions
- Place the tomatoes, onio, garlic and water into a blender. Blend until smooth then set aside.
Soup Instructions
- Over medium-low heat, heat the oil in a large pot, once warm add the fideo noodles. Stir to coat the fideo with the oil. Keep stirring and allow the noodles to toast or begin to brown. Don’t walk away, you don’t want the noodles to burn!
- Once toasted add the tomato sauce — be careful it may splutter from the heat. Quickly stir until everything is well combined. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 8 minutes. The tomato sauce needs to thicken a little bit and turn a darker red color.
- Next pour in the vegetable broth, add the cilantro if using and the salt, mix until well combined. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until the noodles are soft and tender but now mushy!
- Taste and adjust salt if desired. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Top with you favorite toppings and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Other Ingredients You Can Add to Fideo
If you’d like to make the soup a bit heartier you can add some frozen mixed vegetables.
Some people like to add albondigas or meatballs and potatoes.
Occasionally I’ll add frozen peas or a can of garbanzo beans, drained of course.
Tips to Make The BEST Fideo
To make perfect fideo soup every time you really just need to follow the recipe as written.
Don’t skip on browning the fideo. This not only adds flavor but also prevents the noodles from going mushy.
You may be tempted to add more tomatoes for a stronger tomato taste — don’t! Doing so will make your soup thicker, and you want some broth in it.
Also if you can try to use ripe tomatoes. Ones that are bright red and a bit soft. If possible avoid hard and dull tomatoes. They’ll not give enough flavor to the soup and won’t blend as well.
Arely says
I grew up with this soup but never got the recipe from my mom. Thank you will be making it for lunch this week
Nancy says
Thanks, Arely and enjoy your soup!
mjskitchen says
I’ve always wanted to make this. It’s been a traditional sopa in New Mexican homes for several generations so I see it a lot, just have never made it. I love your recipe. Thanks!
Nancy says
Hi MJ!
I had not idea it was also traditional in New Mexican cuisine, how neat! Enjoy your sopa 🙂