Sopa de Fideo, also known as Mexican noodle soup, is a tomato-based soup that’s easy to make and perfect for the whole family! This satisfying and comforting soup is also vegetarian and vegan.
Sopa de Fideo is a Mexican noodle soup made with a tomato-based broth that’s super flavorful, savory and perfect for the whole family.
It was one of my favorite soups as a kid because it was ready in no time (which was very important to little baby Isabel back in the day), and it had a lot of broth with noodles that were fun to eat! It was one of those soups that I never got tired of eating and I’m so excited to be sharing it on the blog today.
This soup is 100% comfort food for me and I just can’t get enough.
What is fideo?
Fideo is the Spanish word for noodle. Sopa is the Spanish word for soup. Put ’em together and you’ve got Mexican noodle soup!
The noodles used in Sopa de Fideo are round and thin like spaghetti noodles, but short and bite-sized. You can find it in the pasta aisle of your grocery store labeled as either “fideo” or “cut spaghetti.”
If you can’t find fideo noodles in your grocery store, you could also buy regular spaghetti noodles and break them into short 1-inch pieces. Here’s the exact pasta I used for this fideo recipe.
How do you make sopa de fideo?
- Make the broth. Add 2 cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes, chopped onions, garlic, cumin and vegetable or chicken broth into a blender. Blend until smooth. Then cook the broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with a little bit of olive oil. This helps add some depth of flavor to the canned tomatoes and and onions in the broth.
- Toast the noodles. Similar to Mexican rice, the noodles in sopa de fideo are lightly toasted with a little bit of olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot until they they are slightly browned and blistered.
- Add the broth and cook for 20 minutes. Once the noodles are toasted, add the blended tomato broth as well as 5 cups of vegetable or chicken broth. Season it with some salt, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the noodles are fully cooked through.
Traditionally, my Mom always made the soup with little tomato and chicken flavored bouillon cubes instead of making the broth from actual tomatoes and spices, but those cubes are not made from the best ingredients. Lots of MSG, added sugar and other stuff that I don’t really need in my food.
So I decided to branch out and make it from scratch. I’m proud to say that this sopa de fideo recipe tastes just the way I remember it and I couldn’t be happier!
Once the fideo soup is done, I like to serve it up in a big bowl with some cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice for some brightness and freshness. It’s so incredibly simple to make and it always satisfies all my soup cravings.
More easy soup recipes you need to try
- Roasted Poblano Broccoli Soup
- Albondigas Soup
- Chicken Pozole Verde
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Red Posole
- Caldo de Res
INGREDIENTS
- 2 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 1 large clove)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 ounces fideo pasta
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin and 1 cup broth in a large blender. Blend until completely smooth. Blend this in a blender until smooth.
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add blended tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and add fideo pasta noodles. Stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until pasta has browned a little and begun to blister.
- Add the warm blended tomato sauce, the remaining 5 cups of broth and salt. Stir together to combine, cover and cook for 20 minutes, until the noodles are cooked through.
- Taste and season with more salt if necessary.
Kevin says
I can’t wait to try your recipe. I have only had it at my local Americanized Mexican restaurant, but really enjoy it. Yum!
Monica says
I made this tonight with tomatoes I roasted in the over first. I only used 1 TBSP of olive oil to cut donw on the fat. It was quite delicious with a grilled cheese sandwich!
jessica serrano says
Can you substitute fresh tomatoes for the canned?
Isabel says
Great question! Yes, that should work! Try to get the same amount, about 2 pounds.
Rex says
Going to make this tonight, my best friend was telling me how this is his favorite soup. I had never heard of it but sounds awesome!
Jay says
Awesome recipe. Thanks
JoAnne says
I’m so happy to have found your blog. Growing up, my mama made fideo all the time, so this brings back many fond memories! I’m going to make this tonight, maybe reduce it a little more as I like a thick sauce. In the meantime, I’m going to explore your site further to see what other gems you have!
Isabel says
Thank you so much, Diane. I’m so happy you found my blog too! Part of the reason I love creating these Mexican recipes is because they bring back so many memories for me, too. I want to carry on my Mexican culture through food, and I’m so happy it’s resonating with you! 🙂
Ami says
Could I add some shredded chicken to make it a bit heartier?
Isabel says
Yes!
M.yani says
For a slightly more authentic flavor. You saute the noodles first till they are slight dark golden brown. Then add the blended mix. Similar to making spanish rice. Just noodle instead of rice.
Diana says
Well, this certainly takes me back to my childhood! My mom would use fideo noodles that were like thin spaghetti noodles but they were curled. They are hard to find nowadays but occasionally I do see them in the grocery store.
Isabel says
Ooh, I’ve never seen curled ones before. Sopa de Fideo definitely brings back good memories 🙂
Gabie Temple says
This soup was great! It was better than I even thought it would be.
Isabel says
Thank you so much!
Maggie Unzueta says
My mouth is watering. I have to make this tonight!
Isabel says
Thanks, Maggie! 🙂 I love sopa de fideo!
Tamara says
Are you sure 1,669 mg sodium is correct for one serving? The soup looks so delicious and easy to make but I’d have to skip it if the sodium is that high.
Isabel says
Hi Tamara, I think it’s mainly due to the canned tomatoes and the chicken broth. You can substitute those with low-sodium varieties instead. Also, the nutritional information on this site is just an estimate since it can vary depending on the brand and exact product you use. I use MyFitnessPal to calculate nutritional information, but there may be errors in their database since it’s user submitted.
Joy says
My soup tasted good, but the broth was thick. Do you think it would be ok with one. Ana of tomatoes and the 6 cups of chick broth?
Isabel says
Hi Joy, I’ve never tried making the recipe that way so I’m not quite sure, but I think it would be okay! If you try it like that, let me know how it turns out!