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Mom’s sopa de fideo (Mexican noodle soup) has been a quick and simple family favorite for generations!

Sopa de fideo served in a blue bowl.

Any Easy Soup to Love!

Sopa de fideo is a thin Mexican noodle soup we’ve made our entire life!

The noodle used is called Fideo, which is similar to angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti. Our mom has made us this Mexican soup using fideo for as long as we can remember, and we love that it’s simple, delicious and comes together in minutes.

Why We love Sopa

  • A dinner classic. This sopa de fideo has become a classic Mexican dinner in our home that the whole family loves. It can also be served as a side dish alongside warm corn tortillas.
  • Handful of ingredients. It’s not only delicious but requires only 5 ingredients.
  • Inexpensive and filling. And with the noodles being so cost-effective, it’s also a great meal when you’re trying to pinch pennies or use some pantry staples.
Two bags of fideo noodles.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or use olive oil to toast the noodles
  • 1 (7-ounce) package fideo noodles – If you can’t find it, use thin spaghetti or vermicelli noodles. Just break the pasta into 1-inch pieces and cook as directed or make sopa de letres and replace the fideo with alphabet noodles.
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce – helps create the delicious tomato soup base
  • 24 ounces chicken broth – or use vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup (or chicken bouillon with water)
  • ½-1 cup Mexican cheese – or your favorite shredded cheese
  • garlic salt with parsley flakes – season to help round out the flavor of the dish
  • black pepper season to taste

How to Make Sopa de Fideo

  1. PASTA. Add 3 tablespoons oil to a medium pot and cook on LOW-MEDIUM heat.
    • Add 1 (7-ounce) fideo and cook until noodles are coated in oil and have started to turn golden brown.
  2. SOUP. Add 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce and 24 ounces broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to LOW and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until noodles are soft.
  3. SERVE. Add ½-1 cup cheese, garlic salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Serve warm. Top with chopped avocado, a squeeze of lime juice, a sprinkle of queso fresco, and fresh cilantro if desired.
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    4.99 from 270 votes

    Sopa de Fideo

    By: Lil’ Luna
    This quick, simple, and delicious sopa de fideo (noodle soup) is a family favorite. It's cheesy and flavorful!
    Servings: 5
    Cook: 20 minutes
    Total: 20 minutes

    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
    Save This Recipe!
    Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!

    Instructions 

    • Add 3 tablespoons oil to a medium pot and cook on LOW-MEDIUM heat. Add 1 (7-ounce) 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 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce and 24 ounces broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to LOW and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until noodles are soft.
    • Add ½-1 cup cheese, garlic salt, and pepper and stir until combined. Serve warm.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g, Calories: 49kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 575mg, Potassium: 36mg, Fiber: 0.01g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 78IU, Vitamin C: 0.03mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 0.2mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    Additional Info

    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Mexican
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    Recipe FAQ

    • Add shredded chicken for a heartier fideo soup.
    • Add veggies like peas, zucchini, and carrots.
    • Infuse extra flavor by sauteeing onion or garlic in the oil before adding the fideo.
    • Make this sopa de fideo recipe a richer flavor by pureeing roasted tomatoes instead of tomato sauce.
    • Spice it up with jalapeno or chili powder.
    • Keep leftover Mexican noodle soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
    • 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 Soup Recipes:

    About Kristyn

    My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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    4.99 from 270 votes (232 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




    76 Comments

    1. Michelle says:

      5 stars
      This sounds wonderful I can’t wait to make it. Thank you so much for sharing really great recipes.

      1. Lil'Luna Team says:

        You’re welcome! Thanks for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the recipe!!

    2. Janine Dallas says:

      Have a salvadoran son in law. My daughter and I want to find more recipes agreeable to both tastes. sounds Wonderful!

      1. Lil'Luna Team says:

        Hopefully this is one that will be a hit for all!

    3. Sarah Lujan says:

      5 stars
      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!

      1. LilLunaTeam says:

        You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked the recipe.:)

    4. Louis E says:

      5 stars
      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)

      1. LilLunaTeam says:

        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!

    5. Rhan Wilson says:

      5 stars
      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!!!

      1. Kristyn Merkley says:

        Great options! Thank you for sharing that!

    6. Bryan Freeman says:

      5 stars
      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.

      1. Bryan Freeman says:

        Sorry should have said mexi-corn.

      2. Kristyn Merkley says:

        Perfect! I am glad you shared that! Thank you!

    7. Kendra says:

      5 stars
      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!

    8. CLARICE ERREGUIN says:

      5 stars
      Awesome comfort food for the cold months.!

      1. Kristyn Merkley says:

        Yes!! Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you!

    9. Capa says:

      5 stars
      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.

      1. Kristyn Merkley says:

        I’ll have to try adding chicken! Thanks for letting me know!

    10. Susan Voigt says:

      5 stars
      Just made this, added green onions and red pepper flakes for some heat, it was delicious!

      1. Kristyn Merkley says:

        Great idea! I like a little heat! Thanks for sharing 🙂