This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Sopa de Fideo (aka Mexican Noodle Soup) is equal parts comforting and flavorful. It’s a tomato broth-based soup loaded with lots of noodles and the whole family will love it!
This soup is total comfort food. It’s the kind of food you crave when you’re feeling under the weather, or that reminds you of your childhood. Sopa de Fideo is great just on it’s own, but is often served with warm Corn Tortillas or even a Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
Table of Contents
Why We Love It
- Vegan/Vegetarian Friendly – This soup can easily be made vegan by using vegetable stock and tomato bouillon.
- Comforting – Mexican Noodle Soup is a must make for soup season!
- Family Favorite – This Sopa de Fideo recipe is a hit with kids as they love all the noodles.
Ingredients for Sopa de Fideo
Simple, fresh ingredients for maximum flavor!
- Vegetable Oil
- White Onion
- Roma Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Tomato Bouillon – Chicken bouillon can be subbed in as well.
- Spices – Ground Cumin, Salt and pepper.
- Vegetable Broth – Chicken broth can be instead.
- Fideo Noodles – If you can’t find these, you can use angel hair pasta broken into small pieces.
- Fresh Limes – you’ll use the lime juice and fresh limes are so much better than the lime juice in a jar.
How To Make Sopa de Fideo
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
It’s super easy – all you need is a large soup pot and a blender to make it from scratch!
- Make the Broth – Heat some oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and saute until translucent. To the pot, add the tomatoes, garlic, bouillon, cumin, and salt. Cook until the tomatoes start to break down then add about 1 cup of the broth and stir to combine. Remove from heat.
- Blend – Add the tomato mixture from the pot to a blender and let cool for a few minutes before blending until smooth.
- Toast Noodles – To the same pot, turn on the heat again and add the remaining oil. Add the noodles to the oil and cook while stirring until they start to turn dark brown.
- Strain and Add Tomato Sauce – Pour the blender contents through a mesh strainer into a pot and add the remaining broth along with the lime juice.
- Bring to Boil – Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer until the noodles are cooked through. The noodles are very skinny so it doesn’t take long. Taste and adjust any seasonings before serving.
- Serve – Ladle into bowls and serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
FAQs
Literally translated it means soup of noodles or noodle soup in Spanish. It originated in Spain and then became a popular dish in Mexican cuisine during Spanish colonization.
An authentic Sopa recipe uses fideo noodles that are lightly toasted in oil before being cooked in the flavorful broth. This toasting technique is also used to make Mexican Rice as the rice is toasted in oil before cooking.
Fideo is a thin Mexican noodle that is similar to thin spaghetti or vermicelli noodles. Most large grocery stores will carry fideo noodles, but if your store doesn’t then you can use broken up angel hair pasta.
How To Serve
Serve the homemade soup in bowls topped with fresh chopped cilantro and lime wedges for an extra squeeze of lime juice. Diced avocado and even a small sprinkle of queso fresco are great toppers as well.
Storage and Reheating
Storage – Leftover noodle soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Be aware that the noodles may absorb more of the broth in the fridge.
Freezing: Not recommend. The noodles will lose their texture and become mushy.
Reheating – While you can reheat the soup in the microwave, I like to reheat in a pot on the stove until warm.
- Fresh Tomatoes are Best – For the best flavor, I like to use fresh roma tomatoes that I dice and deseed myself. But, if tomatoes are out of season and you can’t find any good ones then you can swap in canned tomatoes.
- Try Adding Chicken- A popular variation is made with chicken! Add cooked, shredded chicken to the soup for an even more filling option.
- Carefully Toast the Noodles – When toasting the fideo noodles in the oil, watch them carefully so they don’t burn.
More Mexican Recipes
- Authentic Tacos Al Pastor
- Red Chicken Pozole Soup
- Albondigas Soup Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
- Ground Turkey Enchiladas
- How to Make Wet Burritos
Sopa de Fideo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 3 roma tomatoes deseeded and diced
- 3 garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 teaspoons tomato bouillon or chicken bouillon
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 8 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 14 ounces fideo noodles or angel hair pasta broken into small pieces
- 2 limes juiced
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion cook, stirring frequently, until the onion becomes translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, bouillon, cumin and salt and cook until the tomatoes start to break down, about 3 minutes.
- Pour in 1 cup of broth and stir to combine, then pour it all into a blender. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then blend until smooth. Set aside to use later.
- Pour another tablespoon of oil into the pot then add the noodles. Stir constantly until the noodles are a golden color, about 5 minutes.
- Strain the blended tomato sauce through a mesh strainer and into the pot. Pour in the remaining 7 cups of broth and lime juice.
- Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and simmer until the noodles are cooked to al dente, 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve with freshly chopped cilantro and lime wedges if desired.
