Scented with cayenne, allspice, cumin, and garnished with cilantro and avocado, this Mexican tomato-based noodle soup (Sopa de Fideo) will take you to Mexico. Ready in 30 minutes!
I will tell you this. I am not a huge fan of spicy food. Yep, I said it. That's why Mexican food is not a frequent guest in my kitchen (Carne en su Jugo was amazing though). However, lately I am discovering that far from all food from this sunny country is overly-spiced. There actually exist dishes that are not packed with chillies or other hot peppers with exotic names. Or there are recipes that let you skip them without losing too much flavor. Good news for me! Sopa de Fideo is one of them. The name translates as "noodle soup" from Spanish. That's exactly what it is!
The base of this hearty soup is made from tomatoes. Different recipes use different type of tomatoes. There are versions with fresh, roasted and canned ones. As with every traditional dish, there is no single recipe, because every family has their own tricks and secrets! I've used canned ones because it's winter now and I won't be able to find fresh and juicy tomatoes. I definitely don't want to use those tasteless, woody things they call winter tomatoes for the soup! Even if I did want to use them, it would be complicated to do that, because we need juice for Sopa de Fideo and there is no juice in them, at all.
As for the noodles, this soup requires Fideo, angel hair or vermicelli. The interesting thing is that you don't cook them in the water or broth, but you fry them before adding the liquid instead. That's the secret of this dish! You will see how the noodles will absorb the liquid nicely, thickening the soup in the end.
This Sopa de Fideo recipe is a feast of flavors. Tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, avocados, lime - everything in one bowl! A bowl of comfort and warmth. Talking about lime, you can add juice of one lime to the pot in the very end or cut into wedges and serve it like that so everyone would be able to decide if they want it. If you are not like me and want some heat - just add 1 jalapeno to a pot. You can serve this Mexican noodle soup as a side dish or a starter before the main meal. Or you can add some shredded chicken or beef and make it as a standalone filling soup. Enjoy! 
Sopa de Fideo - Mexican Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
- 8 oz (225g) Fideo, vermicelli or angel hair noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces
- 1 14 oz (400g) can chopped or crushed tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, water mixed with chicken bouillon works too
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lime
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Transfer the cooked onion and garlic into a blender. Add canned tomatoes, 1 cup of broth, cumin, allspice and cayenne pepper. Blend until smooth.
- In the same soup pot heat 1 teaspoon of oil on a medium heat and cook noodles for about 2-5 minutes, stirring continuously. Noodles have to be golden brown, but be careful not to burn them! Stir!
- Pour the tomato mixture into the pot. Add the remaining broth. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the juice of 1 lime into the pot or serve the lime cut in wedges individually. Garnish with cilantro and avocado slices. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Britt B.
This was delicious! Though I did find that I needed to add additional seasoning and tomatoes, it was a little weak and watery when following the recipe as is. I also added shredded chicken on top! It was great and I would definitely use this recipe again as a guide. ?
Igor
I'm happy to hear it, Britt!
Jessica
This recipe sounds Americanized, which is not positive. My family from both my father and my mother is Mexican and never ever have we used black pepper/cumin/allspice/cayenne pepper to make traditional sopa de fideos. Both sides of the family from different states in Mexico and none have used those ingredients to make this soup.
Igor
Thank you for the information, Jessica. It may be Americanized as you say, I am not sure about it. So no seasoning at all then? 🙂
Chris
I made this recipe minus the cumin and allspice(because I didn’t have any) the liquid sounded like way too much so I cut it in half, using just 4 cups of chicken broth made it not too soupy, more like I’ve had it at Mexican restaurants, it was really delicious, I will definitely make it often.
Mario
Great recipe. What some people do not understand is that the ingredients you use might not be exactly the ingredients I use. Sometimes it turns out perfect other times it does not. That's when you have to decide what spices to use to bring it to your liken. That is exactly what i did. I just needed a foundation to start. Just to let you know I'm Mexican and so is my wife. My mom made this soup many times when I was growing up. I must say this is right on cue. The way I go about it is look up recipes that my mother has made, which I loved and then I ask my mother how she has made it. She go's by memory not by written recipes.
Mario
Right on. I look for the foundation and then work from there. This recipe is right on just a little modification here and there.
Thank you!!!
Micaela
It was delicious! Thank you for the added spices. Despite background in culture, flavor is flavor and this recipe was fantástico! Thank you!