How to Make Sopa de Fideo—aka Mexican Noodle Soup

Sopa de fideo is a traditional Mexican tomato noodle soup flavored with cumin and chili powder. It’s easy to make with simple aromatics and basic spices, but it relies on one special technique that sets it apart from similar dishes. If you’re a fan of Mexican soups, this one belongs in your rotation.

What Is Fideo?

This simple comfort food consists of thin, slippery noodles in a flavorful tomato-tinged chicken broth. Unlike similar homemade soups where noodles are tossed into the pot near the end of cooking, this one starts by toasting the noodles in hot oil first. This step gives the dish an unusually savory, nutty quality.

How to Make Sopa de Fideo

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces uncooked fideo noodles or uncooked angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 cups chicken broth
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Directions

Step 1: Toast the noodles

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the noodles and cook, stirring frequently, until they’re golden brown, three to four minutes.

Step 2: Prep the sauce

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Meanwhile, place the tomatoes, onion, garlic and seasonings in a blender and blend until smooth.

Step 3: Finish the soup

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Pour the tomato mixture into the pot of toasted noodles, along with the broth. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the noodles are tender, five to seven minutes. Portion the soup into bowls, and sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Sopa de Fideo FAQs

What nationality is fideo?

Fideo is a traditional Mexican dish. It is most similar to sopa de estrellitas and sopa de letras—star soup and alphabet soup, respectively.

Is fideo the same as spaghetti?

Fideo is, compositionally, the same as spaghetti (they are both wheat noodles). The only difference is that fideo are short—about one inch long. Fideo can be substituted with broken spaghetti or angel hair pasta.

Can you make fideo with ground beef?

If you’d like to add ground beef to this soup, start by browning it in the Dutch oven first. After it’s mostly cooked through (about five minutes) add the noodles and proceed with the recipe as written.