Sopa de Fideo Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published March 20, 2022. Updated March 22, 2022

Sopa de Fideo is an incredibly easy Mexican soup recipe made with a few basic ingredients including toasted pasta, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and broth. Once finished it’s garnished with desired toppings to build up delicious layers of flavor.

What is Fideo?

Fideo is a Mexican pasta. It’s much like spaghetti but rather than long strands it’s cut into small pieces that are about 1 to 2-inches in length. It’s usually made from semolina and durum wheat flour.

One of the most frequent ways it’s used in Mexican and Spanish cuisine is in this soup.

‘Sopa de fideo’ translates from Spanish to English as ‘noodle soup.’ It is a mildly flavored soup almost like a classic Italian tomato soup, but with it’s final toppings it takes on bright fresh Mexican flavor instead.

It is one of the most foolproof recipes you can make! Plus it’ssuch a comforting feel good soup that both kids and adults love!

Where to find fideo and is there a substitute?

• You can usually find fideo in the Latin section of grocery stores (I’ve found it at Kroger and Target though this could vary regionally) or it can be purchased online.
• A great substitute is thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta, just break into small pieces before adding to soup.
• Use an equal weight of spaghetti to what is listed.

Sopa de Fideo Soup Recipe Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs roma tomatoes, halved
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and halved
• 3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 (7 to 8 oz) pkg. fideo
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (more to thin if desired)
• Salt and black pepper

Best Toppings to Build up Flavor

• Fresh cilantro
• Fresh lime juice
• Queso fresco cheese
• Mexican crema
• Avocado
• Cumin, ancho chili powder, red pepper flakes

How to Make Sopa de Fideo

1. Blend fresh ingredients in blender: Add tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a blender. Cover and blend until pureed. Set aside.
2. Toast fideo in pot: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add fideo and saute, tossing constantly with a rubber spatula, until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes (reduce heat slightly if needed if it’s browning too quickly).
3. Add liquids to pot: Pour in chicken broth and tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Simmer until fideo is tender: Bring mixture to a simmer then reduce heat to low and simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Finish with toppings: Ladle soup into bowls and finish with toppings and serve with lime wedges for spritzing over.

Other Ways to Make It

• Canned tomatoes: Though fresh tomatoes are more traditional you could also make this recipe with canned tomatoes. Just use a 28 oz can of whole or diced tomatoes.
• Roasted option: Make a roasted fideo soup. Roast the tomatoes and even the onion (peeled and sliced) and garlic (peeled) under the broiler on a baking sheet to blacken slightly.
• Make it spicy: Add minced jalapeno, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
• Add vegetables: You can add diced vegetables to the soup. Use things such as carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, cabbage or corn. Just saute them (before sauteing the fideo) then transfer to saute the pasta.
• Include a protein: Add shredded rotisserie chicken into the soup or black beans if you want it heartier.

More Delicious Mexican Inspired Soups to Try

• Black Bean Tortilla Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Mexican Lentil Soup
• Mexican Vegetable Soup