Sopa seca de fideo is the less well-known cousin of sopa de fideo. While sopa de fideo is a soup, sopa seca de fideo is more of a casserole which happens to be very common in Central Mexico.
I first had sopa seca de fideo when I was a missionary for a year in Mexico City. I was living in a community of consecrated women (kind of like nuns). I remember them saying we were having sopa de fideo for dinner. To my surprise, what came to the table was not the soup of my childhood but a casserole of noodles in a spicy tomato sauce, topped with crema, cheese, and avocado. I was so confused but grew to love this dish, and all that Mexico City has to offer.
“Sopa seca” means dry soup which is exactly what this dish is. The noodles are toasted lightly and then a puree of tomatoes, chipotle, onion, and garlic is poured on top. It’s just enough liquid for the pasta to absorb the spicy and tangy flavors. This dish, just like sopa de fideo is comfort food, what moms and abuelitas make, but more recently you can find it in restaurants served in tacos!
What Noodles Should You Use to Make Sopa de Fideo??
In Mexico we use a small thin pasta that we simply call fideo, which means noodle. It’s similar to angel hair, but it’s cut into one-inch pieces. The most common brand is called La Moderna. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store you can use thin spaghetti and cut it into one-inch pieces with your hands or by placing the pasta in a Ziploc bag and smashing it into smaller pieces.
The Recipe: Sopa Seca de Fideo
- I have added zucchini to this recipe for nutritional value, but traditionally it doesn’t usually have zucchini.
- I used this almond crema, but if you’re looking for a version of crema that is lower in fat you can make a crema with tofu.
Sopa Seca de Fideo
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Fideo noodles or thin spaghetti broken into 1 inch pieces
- 1 can Diced tomatoes
- ½ White onion chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic peeled
- 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo
- 1 tsp. Dry oregano
- 1 ¼ cups Small diced zucchini
- 1 ½ cup Vegetable broth
Garnish
- Almond Crema
- ¼ cup Chopped cilantro
- 1 Avocado, sliced
Instructions
- Place the diced tomatoes, chipotle pepper, onion, garlic, and 1 cup of broth and process until smooth. Set aside.
- Set a large pot to medium heat. Add noodles and dry toast the until golden brown. Add tomato broth and let simmer, stirring constantly, until the tomato broth turns a deep red color about 2 minutes. Add zucchini, oregano, and remaining ½ cup of broth.
- Turn heat to low, and continue simmering and stirring until the noodles and zucchini are tender, about 10- 12 minutes. Season to taste
- While the noodles are simmering, make your almond crema.
- If there is too much liquid in your noodles let them sit for 5 minutes and let the pasta absorb the excess moisture or if there is not enough liquid you can add a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of more broth.
- Place noodles on a serving dish and drizzle the almond crema on the noodles, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and sliced of avocado.
Notes
- I have added zucchini to this recipe for nutritional value, but traditionally it doesn’t usually have zucchini.
- I used this almond crema, but if you’re looking for a version of crema that is lower in fat you can make a crema with tofu.
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