Sopa De Fideo

I love soup season. Dishes such as Chicken Sausage and Cabbage Soup always just feel so warm and cozy. This take on the Mexican classic noodle soup will make both kids and adults feel like they've been hugged.

Ingredients

Not only is this a quick cooking Sopa de Fideo perfect for lunch or dinner, it also requires only a handful of ingredients.

• Neutral Oil - Grapeseed oil, canola, light olive oil, and vegetable oil are all excellent choices.
• Fideo Noodles - Fideo is a type of pasta that resembles broken spaghetti noodles. It is also sometimes labeled as fidelini. You can usually find it in the international aisle of your grocery store with the Mexican food.
• Tomato Paste - This adds a little sweetness to the broth while also enhancing the natural tomato flavor from the fresh tomatoes.
• Chicken Broth - Adds bothiness and savory flavor to this soup while helping the noodles to cook.
• Salt
• Cumin - Warm, earthy, and lightly citrusy, this perfumes the entire soup.
• Tomatoes - Brings freshness and texture the soup along with a little acidity and sweetness.
• Sweet Onion - Adds depth to the aromatic broth.
• Garlic - Bright, sharp, and pungent, garlic perfumes the broth and adds depth.
• Jalapeno - You only need half a jalapeno. This gives a hint of spice without overpowering it.
• Limes - A squeeze of sunny lime at the end wakes up all of the flavors.
• Cotija Cheese - This salty Mexican cheese similar in flavor and texture to feta adds a salty and creamy pop to finish off the soup.

How to Make Sopa de Fideo

This quick cooking soup is a perfect weeknight meal served with tortillas or cozy fall lunch.

Time needed: 30 minutes.

Skip the canned soup and make this light yet warming and comforting soup from scratch!

1. Heat a large pot with oil over medium heat. Add your fideo noodles and allow them to toast for about 5 minutes until they become golden and smell a little nutty.

Add the tomato paste and stir. Let the tomato paste cook for several minutes until it goes from bright red to a darker rusty color.

Add your onions, fresh tomatoes, garlic, and jalapeno along with water to a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour the sauce over the noodles and add chicken broth and seasonings. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.

Serve with a squeeze of lime, extra jalapenos, and cotija cheese.

Substitutions

If you cannot find fideo noodles, you can replace them with spaghetti. Simply break the large spaghetti noodles into smaller pieces and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Variations of Sopa de Fideo

• Vegetarian - This recipe can be made vegetarian by replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
• Chicken - Add shredded chicken to the broth for sopa de pollo con fideos.
• Beef - Add ground beef or stew meat to this broth for sopa de res con fideos.
• Avocado - Have fun with your toppings. Creamy avocado is a traditional topping that adds richness and texture.
• Spicy - Like things a little more spicy? Add the entire jalapeno when blending your sauce for this soup.

Tools Needed

• Stockpot/Dutch Oven - Pick a heavy bottomed pot that you can spread the fideo noodles out on, allowing them to toast.
• Blender - Use a blender to puree the tomato, onion, garlic, and jalapeno mixture. By creating a sauce it melts into the broth of this soup while also cooking faster.

Storage

This soup makes for great leftovers. Simply store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you're ready to reheat, you may want to add additional chicken broth to thin it out as the noodles will absorb the broth.

Top Tip for Sopa de Fideo

Take your time and allow the fideo to toast. If they seem like they are starting to burn, turn your heat down and continue to stir them until they are golden and have a nutty aroma.