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This sopa de fideo con carne molida is my heartier take on the classic fideo soup I grew up eating: toasted noodles, lean ground beef, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini simmered in a blended fresh tomato broth. It’s ready in about 45 minutes, and it’s a full dinner in one pot.
This post is sponsored by Laura’s Lean Beef. All opinions are my own.
A Note from Isabel
If you grew up eating sopa de fideo, you already know how comforting one bowl can be. My mom’s sopa de fideo is the one I was raised on, just toasted noodles in a light tomato broth, and I still make it all the time, especially for my kids. But there are so many versions out there that once the weather cools off, I want something that’s a little heartier.
That’s where this sopa de fideo con carne molida comes in. Ground beef, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini all go in with the fideo, so it’s filling and eats like a real dinner. Everything simmers together in one pot, and the noodles soak up all that delicious broth.
It’s also so easy. I’ve made this more times than I can count with my toddler on my hip because she didn’t want to be put down, and it turns out great every time. If you’re into Mexican soups like I am, try my caldo de res or albondigas soup next.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Everything here is easy to find at a regular grocery store. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
- Fideo noodles: These are the short, thin noodles you find in the Mexican foods aisle, usually in a 7-ounce bag. They get toasted in the pot before anything else goes in, which gives the soup its nutty flavor. If you can’t find fideo, break angel hair or thin spaghetti into 1-inch pieces and it’ll work just fine.
- Lean ground beef: I use Laura’s 92% Lean Ground Beef. It’s a high-quality protein, it browns up nicely with the onion and garlic, and it doesn’t leave extra grease floating in your broth. It’s also free of antibiotics and added hormones, which I love.
- Fresh tomato sauce: Roma tomatoes, onion, garlic, and a jalapeño get blended with a little broth to make the base of the soup. When I’m making it for my kids, I take the seeds out of the jalapeño so there’s barely any heat. If you like a little spice, leave them in. I’ve made it both ways and love it either way.
- Beef broth and chicken bouillon: The beef broth builds on the flavor of the ground beef, and a little chicken bouillon blended into the sauce gives it that classic sopa de fideo taste.
- Vegetables: Potato, carrot, and zucchini (or Mexican calabacita squash if you can find it) make this a full meal.
- Smoked paprika: This goes in with the beef and adds a little warmth and depth to the broth.
- Cilantro: A handful of sprigs simmers right in the soup and flavors the broth. When I’m serving it to my kids, I pull the sprigs out before serving, but you can leave them in too.
A Tip for Fideo with Ground Beef
With Laura’s 92% lean, you don’t have to drain anything. The onion and garlic cook right in the little bit of fat the beef gives off, so all that beefy flavor goes straight into the soup without making it greasy. The broth stays clean and tomato-y, and the beef adds enough protein to make this a real meal. It’s one of my favorites to pick up at the store because it’s easy to find, and Laura’s has been a trusted brand for more than 40 years, so I always know I’m getting a good one.
How to Make Sopa de Fideo con Carne Molida
Toasting the noodles and browning the beef first is what gives this soup so much flavor, and the whole thing happens in one pot.
Blend the sauce. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, chicken bouillon, and some broth to a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
Brown the beef. Heat a little olive oil in a large pot and cook the ground beef with the diced onion, minced garlic, and seasonings until it’s browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Scoop everything into a bowl and set it aside.
Toast the fideo. In the same pot, heat some oil and sauté the fideo for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add everything back in. Add the beef, the blended sauce, the squash, the cilantro, and the rest of the broth.
Simmer and let it rest. Stir, bring to a boil, then cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the noodles are cooked. Take the pot off the heat, uncover it, and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the vegetables to size. Potatoes in 1-inch pieces and carrots and squash in ½-inch pieces all finish cooking in the same 10 minutes as the noodles. If the potatoes are smaller, they can overcook and get mushy before the other veggies get soft.
- Don’t skip the rest. The fideo keeps soaking up broth as it sits, and those 10 minutes off the heat let everything finish.
- Taste before serving. Between the bouillon and the broth, the saltiness can vary a lot, so give it a taste and add more salt if it needs it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes 6 big servings, and each bowl has 23 grams of protein, mostly from the lean ground beef. It’s cozy and comforting, but it’ll also keep you full.
I love it with a squeeze of lime juice, some sliced avocado, and tortilla chips on the side. Warm homemade corn tortillas or flour tortillas are great too. My kids always want a little dollop of sour cream on theirs. And if you like some heat, drizzle on a spoonful of salsa macha or chile de árbol salsa.
Yes! This makes a great meal prep dish. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The noodles will keep soaking up the broth as it sits, so if you want it a little brothier, add a splash of broth or water when you reheat it.
Sopa de Fideo con Carne Molida
Ingredients
- 4 medium Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 small white onion, ½ whole and ½ diced
- 4 cloves garlic, 1 whole and 3 minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded
- 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 8 cups beef broth, divided
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound Laura’s 92% Lean Ground Beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 7 ounces dry fideo noodles
- 1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini or Mexican calabacita squash, diced into ½-inch pieces
- 10 cilantro sprigs
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, the ½ whole onion, 1 clove garlic, the jalapeño, chicken bouillon, and 1 cup of the beef broth to a large blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 2 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Stir in the remaining diced onion, the remaining minced garlic, salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, until the beef is fully cooked through. Remove the pot from the heat, transfer everything to a medium bowl, and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the fideo noodles and sauté for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and carrots and sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Add the cooked ground beef, the blended tomato mixture, the squash, cilantro, and the remaining 7 cups of broth. Stir, bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the noodles are cooked through.
- Remove from the heat, uncover, and let sit for 10 minutes, then serve.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The noodles soak up broth as the soup sits, so add a splash of broth or water when you reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.
- Spice level: This soup is very mild. If you want some heat, leave the seeds in the jalapeño or use a serrano pepper.
- Fideo noodles: Break angel hair or thin spaghetti into 1-inch pieces and use them the same way.
- Cilantro: The sprigs flavor the broth as it simmers. Feel free to pull them out before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
