This quick, simple, and delicious Sopa de Fideo (noodle soup) is a family favorite. It’s cheesy and flavorful!
Sopa de Fideo is one of our favorite Mexican soups – along with Chicken Tortilla Soup, Enchilada Soup, and Taco Soup. You can’t go wrong with any of them!
What is Fideo?
Fideo is a thin Mexican noodle. It is similar to angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti. In fact, if you can’t find fideo noodles, you can use thin spaghetti or vermicelli noodles. Just break the pasta into 1-inch pieces and cook as directed.
The best part of fideo? You can usually find a bag for only two quarters at most grocery stores. Score!
Ever since we were little, my mom has made for us the best sopa (aka soup) using fideo. This Sopa de Fideo has become a classic dinner in our home that the whole family loves.
It’s not only delicious but requires just a few ingredients too. And with the noodles being so inexpensive, it’s also a great meal when you’re trying to pinch pennies or use some pantry staples.
How to Make Sopa de Fideo
Fideo Soup is so simple!
PASTA. Add oil to a medium pot and heat on LOW-MEDIUM heat. Add fideo and cook until noodles are coated in oil and have started to brown.
SAUCE. Add tomato sauce and broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce to LOW and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until noodles are soft.
SERVE. Add cheese, salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Serve warm.
Like we said – so simple. So inexpensive. We promise this sopa will become a family favorite. And be sure to look at our notes below on how you can change this up according to your liking. 😉
Variations
Traditionally this is a very simple Mexican Sopa. It’s easy to make and uses a few common ingredients, and like most soups, it is quite easy to adjust. Here are a few ideas:
- Substitute the chicken broth with vegetable stock for a vegetarian soup.
- Add shredded chicken for a heartier fideo soup.
- Make it a richer flavor by pureeing roasted tomatoes in lieu of tomato sauce.
- Add veggies like peas, zucchini, and carrots.
- Infuse extra flavor by sauteeing onion or garlic in the oil before adding the fideo.
- Add a bit of heat with jalapeno or chili powder.
- Top with chopped avocado, a squeeze of lime juice, and fresh cilantro.
Tips for Serving and Storing
Serving suggestions. This Mexican Sopa de Fideo, along with most soup recipes, is often served at lunch or dinner. It can be served as a side dish or as a main dish alongside warm corn tortillas.
Some other yummy foods to serve with this soup include:
STORE. Keep leftover Mexican Noodle Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
FREEZE. Store leftovers in the freezer for 3-4 months. Keep in mind that the texture of the noodles will change, but the soup will still be delicious.
For More Mexican Soups:
Sopa de Fideo Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 (7-ounce) bag fideo pasta
- 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 24 ounces chicken broth low sodium
- ½-1 cup Mexican cheese shredded
- garlic salt with parsley flakes
- pepper
Instructions
- Add oil to a medium pot and cook on LOW-MEDIUM heat. Add fideo and cook until noodles are coated in oil and have started to brown.
- Add tomato sauce and broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce to LOW and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until noodles are soft.
- Add cheese, garlic salt and pepper and stir until combined. Serve warm.
Never had this sopa de fideo before but this recipe sounds delicious. gonna give it a try for sure 🙂
It is so easy & delicious!! I hope you do!
Mt family makes this all the time!! It is the cheapest, easiest, & tasty meal ever!! We love it!
Have a salvadoran son in law. My daughter and I want to find more recipes agreeable to both tastes. sounds Wonderful!
this is so easy! And i have all these ingredients in my pantry right now, even during this corona quarantine. (minus the pasta but i love that i can just break up regular spaghetti pasta).
Delicious and so easy! Thank you!
My kids loved this! We will DEFINITELY be making again soon.
YOU HAVE THE BEST MEXICAN RECIPES. WE LOVE THIS SOUP.
Similar to your spanish rice recipe i never thought to fry rice or pasta before cooking it.
Really easy recipe. I usually have angel hair pasta on hand, but ill have to try it with the suggested fideo noodles.
I grew up on this stuff. Every inexpensive, quick and so cheesy and yummy! The grandkids love this recipe.
Really liked this recipe! I added onions and garlic right before the nooodles turned brown. I also added caldo de tomate instead of salt. I liked the cheese in it but it was really good without, will probably leave out next time to make it healthier. I Will definitely make again and save to my recipes!
So happy you liked it! Thanks for sharing what you did.
Made This tonight and it was Delicious. My first tIme having fIdeo and will DEFINITELY make again. I hAve a Question, you reFer to it as a soup but it seemed mOre like a pasta Dish. Are there DIFFERENT wAys of serving? It was so yummy, Thanks!
I am so glad you tried it & liked it!! Thank you! That’s just what it is called, but yes, it more pasta 🙂
Just made this, added green onions and red pepper flakes for some heat, it was delicious!
Great idea! I like a little heat! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. I’ve made it with fideo and I’ve also made it using whole wheat thin spaghetti. They were both big hits with my husband and 2-year-old. I also put a little canned chicken in it. It wasn’t very soupy, but that’s a good thing with a toddler.
I’ll have to try adding chicken! Thanks for letting me know!
Awesome comfort food for the cold months.!
Yes!! Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you!
One of my favorite Hispanic families makes & noodle dish that I cannot for the life of me recreate but this recipe comes so close to it that it cures my cravings!
This was very easy to make. I added Sofrito (I got the bottle from a store in Spain), added hamburger, some mini pepperonis, Mexican, and we really enjoyed it as part of our niche Buena celebration.
Sorry should have said mexi-corn.
Perfect! I am glad you shared that! Thank you!
This was quick and easy. I didn’t have any tomato sauce/past on hand, so I diced up some fresh tomatoes, sautéed them with some garlic, mashed them, and added them to the fideo as suggested in the recipe. It was awesome!!!
Great options! Thank you for sharing that!
I “jumped to recipe” so, sorry if I missed this in the article but… Did you mention how much garlic salt and pepper? (Boy new to cooking here)
The garlic salt and pepper amounts are “to taste” for this recipe. Everyone has their own salt and pepper preferences but usually I’ll sprinkle a little garlic salt and pepper in the soup and taste it to see if I feel it needs a little more. Hopefully this helps!
I picked this recipe because it’s the most similar to the Fideo my grandmother made. I made a few modifications based on how I remember it, but it was SOO good. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked the recipe.:)
Have a salvadoran son in law. My daughter and I want to find more recipes agreeable to both tastes. sounds Wonderful!
Hopefully this is one that will be a hit for all!
This sounds wonderful I can’t wait to make it. Thank you so much for sharing really great recipes.
You’re welcome! Thanks for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the recipe!!
My kids favorite growing up! My 23 year old daughter just asked me for my recipe last night. We would sometimes add a small bag of mixed vegetables when adding pasta. I’m making it tonight for my husband and me!
Oh that is wonderful! So glad you love the recipe. I love the idea of adding mixed veggies too.
Love your site, gives great recipes that are easy to prepare. You also have recipes I couldn’t find d on other sites. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome!! So glad you found us here and enjoy the site/recipes!
Excellent fideo and closest to my mexican grandmothers recipe. She added chopped onion while browning the fideo. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome!! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
My great-grandmother (from Mexico) also added diced onion to the browning fideo. So we all do as well. We usually eat this thicker as a side dish, but I’m going to try it more as a sopa!
I also add cumin and garlic powder. So delicious
No bueno. Mine came out gummy. I followed the directions to a T! Flavor was there though.
Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
Heat up the water before you add it to the fideo and try using a skillet instead of a pot.
I was so disappointed. The quantity was very low, box nearly empty. Quality was bad. Looked like long rice. Terrible! Just Terrible! My mother had the same experience. Growing up, I remember my mother making delicious Fideo. Well, I guess we won’t buy it any more. So sad everything is getting more expensive and quality and quantity are going down hill.
I’m sorry to hear that the recipe wasn’t a hit. Thanks for the feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
I like to use el pato sauce, diced potatoes, pinto beans, and corn to mine. (bigger family, they eat like 2 bowls each. lol)
Thanks for sharing what you do! Sounds delicious!
Sounds so delicious! I’m definitely trying it this way too! Mmmmmm mmmmm
Best childhood memories. I would not eat liver, my dad loved it w.anted once a week. He would send me to my room, explaining” this is not a restaurant. Later, my mom would bring me a large bowl of fideo. I can still make a meal of just that and tortillas. And I stoll hate liver
Thanks for sharing your story! I’m so glad this recipe brings back good childhood memories. Definitely not a liver fan either! 🙂
This recipe is truly amazing. I tried it and it turned out very nice.
I use this recipe all the time. Thank you!
Hi Krysten. What type of Mexican cheese do you recommend with this recipe? And do you have a preferred brand of fideo? I’m fortunate to live near a Hispanic grocery store that has a wide selection of both.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Yummy quick comfort food. Made this for my 15 year old home sick with jalapeño tomato sauce. She calls it Mexican Ramen. Yummy 😋
LOL this is NOT “sopa de fideo”.
Just made this, served it with Frenches fried onions sprinkle on top for my husband. He really enjoyed it, I found it a bit rich, but loved the texture. Next time I’ll serve it with a simple salad to break up the richness. I followed above tip and used a skillet, also heated up the broth a little before adding. Loved the texture. Thank you
I’m really confused, was this recipe recently changed? I’ve been following this recipe for a while now and I could’ve sworn it was only 1 can of tomato sauce and only 12oz of chicken broth.
Now I see 2 cans of tomato sauce and 24oz of broth. Someone tell me I’m not losing my mind lol
We did update the recipe not long ago. We’re constantly retesting and keeping our recipes up to date! 🙂
Delicious! Made it 2 times in the past 3 days. The first time I made it as written and it was pretty thick (but still yummy). Today I added 32 oz of chicken broth instead of 24, and it was definitely soupier than the first time which I really liked. My fiancé and I mixed in some sour cream, and it was perfection. Thanks for sharing this simple, but awesome recipe! 🙂