Sopa De Fideo is a simple authentic Mexican noodle soup that everyone loves!  It’s so easy to make by sauteing the pasta then making a simple tomato broth. Serve it hot for a delicious and flavourful weeknight dinner or as a side dish. Comfort food has never been easier!

Noodle soup in a medium bowl with a lime on the side.
Delicious and authentic Sopa De Fideo

Fideo Soup

Fideo soup is a classic Mexican dish that brings family memories to many. It’s basically a another version of this Traditional Mexican Sopa or Sopa De Letras (alphabet pasta soup), Conchitas (shells) or Coditos (elbow pasta). 

You’ll love that it uses ingredients that are commonly kept on hand or easily found in all grocery stores. It has such a delicious satisfying flavor and everyone will love it!

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Easy – Ready in less than 25 minutes.
  • Crowd pleaser – Family & kid friendly!
  • Customizable – Easy to make it vegetarian or vegan.
Two bowls of soup with limes on the side.

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Ingredients

Most likely you already have all of the ingredients for this recipe in your pantry. This version is easy and simple! Today I’m showing you how to make sopa de fideo with tomato sauce instead of a tomato mixture made in the blender. 

  • Vegetable, avocado or grapeseed oil. 
  • Fideo noodles. You can also use angel hair pasta/thin spaghetti cut into small pieces or short vermicelli noodles.
  • Chopped white or yellow onion
  • The broth. Vegetable or chicken broth works well in this soup. 
  • Tomato sauce. 
  • Chicken bouillon cubes
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • Plus limes & hot sauce for serving.
Ingredients in bowls: vegetable broth, tomato sauce, fideo, cilantro, vegetable bullion, and chopped onion.
Ingredients for Sopa De Fideo
A bag of fideo pasta.

The fideo pasta comes in small bags like this one. There are many brands that sell them and they’re all the same! Just buy the one that you can find.

How To Make Sopa De Fideo

This is a visual overview of the steps to make this recipe. See the detailed list of ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below.

Fideo pasta in a white pot and a white spoon.
  1. To a medium to large pot add the vegetable oil and heat over medium heat.
  2. Add the pasta and cook for one minute stirring constantly.
Cooking pasta, carrots & onions in a white pot.
  1. Add onions and carrots and lower heat and continue cooking, stirring to prevent the pasta from burning.
Pasta on a white cooking spoon.
  1. Sauté until the pasta is toasted and golden brown. (Do not leave pot alone at this stage as the fideo changes color quickly and might burn).
Mixing soup with a spoon in a white pot.
  1. Add the broth, tomato sauce, bullion, cilantro, salt & pepper. Stir to incorporate everything together.
A white spoon with fideo soup from a pot.
  1. Increase heat to medium-high to bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes or until fideo is soft.
  1. Remove pot from heat, and allow soup to rest for another five minutes.
  2. Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce on the side.

Variations

Sometimes this sopa de fideo recipe is served as a side dish on a plate instead of rice but the recipe remains the same with some minor adjustments.

  • For more solid Fideo (to serve on a plate), use 5 cups of vegetable broth.
  • If adding vegetables, use 7 to 8 cups of vegetable broth for a soupy consistency.
  • Adjust seasoning to taste.
chopped zucchini and chopped carrots in a small bowl.

Add vegetables for a more hearty soup! Small cubes of Zucchini and carrots are a good choice. 

Make it vegan!

The need for Plant-Based recipes is on the rise and I get many requests for Mexican recipes that do not contain any animal product. This is the perfect one!

To make it vegetarian or vegan, just use vegetable stock. Also, instead of using a chicken bullion, use better than bullion stock (no chicken base) or a cube of vegetable stock.

A large pot full of fideo soup.

Serving suggestions

Serve in a bowl and a squeeze of lime juice, hot sauce and warm corn tortillas or flour on the side. 

It goes perfect with dishes like EntomatadasChilaquilesTacos Dorados, and Croquetas De Atun.



Storing

  • Fridge: If you’re planning to eat the leftover soup within a couple of days, store in the fridge in an airtight container. 
  • Freezer: This soup will comfortably last up to three months in the freezer in an airtight container.

Reheating

Place the soup in a small saucepan and reheat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot; or reheat in the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes per bowl.

FAQ

Why is my fideo sticky?

The pasta gets sticky when there is not enough liquid to move around the pot and has not been previously toasted. The toasting process gives an amazing flavor plus prevents from the pasta sticking together.

What can I substitute for fideo?

If you can’t find fideo in your latin isle at your grocery store, you may use short vermicelli or even angel pasta. Just cut it in small pieces and you’re set!

What are some good seasonings to add to ‘sopa de fideos’?

In addition to the boullion, add chopped roma tomatoes , minced garlic, and olive oil instead of vegetable oil. These flavors will give a nice subtle variation to the recipe.

A bowl of soup with a spoon on the side.
Authentic Mexican Fideo Soup. Healthy and satisfying!

I hope you like this recipe! Share it, or leave a rating and comment below. For questions that need an answer right away, please contact  me and I’ll get back to you asap. Gracias!!!! xx, Ana

Print Recipe:

A bowl of soup with a spoon on the side.

Sopa De Fideo (Step by step)

Servings 6 servings
Ana Frias
5 from 20 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Sopa De Fideo is a comforting soup that's easy to become nostalgic for. Like many of our familial recipes, it's a dish whose exact combination of pasta and broth makes us think of our parents or grandparents who lovingly prepared it for us as children.
6 servings

Ingredients  

  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 7 oz fideo noodles (or short vermicelli)
  • ¼ cup chopped white or yellow onion
  • 2 small carrots peeled, and chopped
  • 6 cups vegetable broth (see note below)
  • 8 oz can (about 210 grams) Tomato sauce
  • 1 Teaspoon better than bullion stock (no chicken base) or a cube of vegetable stock
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • limes & hot sauce for serving.

Instructions 

  • To a large pot add the vegetable oil and heat over medium heat.
    1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • Add the fideo and cook for one minute stirring constantly.
    7 oz fideo noodles
  • Add onions and carrots and lower heat and continue cooking, stirring to prevent the fideo from burning. Sauté until the fideo is toasted and golden brown. (Do not leave pot alone at this stage as the fideo changes color quickly and might burn).
    ¼ cup chopped white or yellow onion, 2 small carrots
  • Add the broth, tomato sauce, bullion, cilantro, salt & pepper. Stir to incorporate everything together.
    6 cups vegetable broth (see note below), 8 oz can (about 210 grams) Tomato sauce, 1 Teaspoon better than bullion stock (no chicken base), ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Increase heat to medium-high to bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes or until fideo is soft.
  • Remove pot from heat, and allow soup to rest for another five minutes.
  • Serve with lime wedges, hot sauce and tortillas on the side.

Muy Delish Notes:

Optional variations:
  • For more solid Fideo (to serve on a plate), use 5 cups of vegetable broth. 
  • If adding vegetables, use 7 to 8 cups of vegetable broth for a soupy consistency. 
  • Adjust seasoning to taste. 
 

Add Your Own Private Notes

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 800mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

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Two bowls of soup with limes on the side.
Easy recipe for pasta de fideo soup!

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Recipe Rating




29 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night and wanted to come back to say it turned out perfect, on top of being really simple. My toddlers loved it too ao there’s also that! Love Mexican flavors and ingredients so we will be making this again for sure, thank you.

  2. 5 stars
    I really enjoyed the flavors in this noodle soup. That little dash of hot sauce really warmed up the dish nicely!

  3. 5 stars
    Finally a recipe that does it right. Frying the onion with the Fideo noodles is a huge part of this recipe. It makes a very big difference in the overall flavor of the soup. So many other recipes online just blend the onion in with the tomatoes and broth. That’s not the way to do it. Thank you for doing it the right way. It’s the way I was taught also

  4. 5 stars
    This is such a delicious recipe. I’ve done this recipe with fideo and with shells. Fideo is still the fav but they’re both so tasty. 100 stars. Thank you

  5. 5 stars
    I’ve never cooked with fideo before, SO interesting that you toast the pasta before boiling it. I’ll definitely add the vegetables when I make this, that sounds just so delicious!

  6. 5 stars
    This is just how my.mom used to make it (but not vegan) but I love this vegan option!! Thanks for the recipe!