Sopa de Coditos is a simple yet comforting pasta soup that is a staple in every Mexican household. It’s a super easy-to-make, 6-ingredient elbow pasta in a light and savory tomato broth.
What Is Sopa de Coditos?
Also called sopa dep sopa de macarrón (macaroni soup), sopa de coditos is a macroni-based pasta soup with a slightly-sweet tomato broth. Yes, both coditos and macarrón mean macaroni or pasta in Spanish.
This is a simple and basic soup that reminds me of my mom’s home cooking. And since it’s such a simple recipe, there are a lot of ways that you can change it to make it taste how you want it to.
Sopa de Coditos
This simple sopa de coditos was every Mexican kid’s favorite meal! It is super picky-eater friendly, easy to make, affordable, and very delish. You can make an entire pot of sopita for about $5.00. Growing up, I had no idea that this simple dish would be so meaningful to me.
When I’m having a rough day, I can just take 15 minutes to whip it up and curl up on the couch watching telenovelas and sipping my sopita de coditos.
Sopa de Coditos Ingredients
All you need is six ingredients:
- Elbow pasta
- Tomatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Vegetable broth
- Oil
Ingredient Substitutes
I don’t recommend substituting any of these ingredients if possible.
The only ingredient that could be substituted is the type of pasta. Fideo is basically just Mexican pasta that you can find in any Mexican grocery store. There is also sopa de fideo, sopa de letras (alphabet soup), and many more. If you don’t have a Mexican grocery store close by, try Safeway, Lucky, or any large grocery stores like these. Here are some examples of what it may look like:
TIPS:
- Avoid overcooking the fideo. Mexican-style pasta is much thinner than regular pasta and typically cooks way faster.
- Pay close attention when frying it to avoid burning it as well.
- If you’re not a huge fan of thin pasta, use regular! Fideo can get soft/soggy quicker and has less texture overall.
- There are many different kinds of fideo. I personally love the little star-shaped one 🙂
- Use vegan Knorr for a more authentic broth. Always double-check the ingredients!
How to Balance Sopa de Coditos
The typical sopa de fideo is really just carbohydrates with a bit of veggies in the broth. If you want to make this a complete meal, let’s add more veggies and some protein! I love adding chickpeas, beans, or lentils for protein and carrots for more vegetables. Here are other options that would go well in this soup:
- lentils
- black beans
- zucchini
- bell pepper
- potatoes
- spinach
- jackfruit
- vegan chicken
How To Store Leftovers
Can you save leftover sopa de coditos? Yes, you can. Put the soup in a spill-proof and airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to three days.
I suggest eating it as soon as possible. As it stays in the refrigerator, the pasta will soak up the broth and they will become softer.
How To Reheat Leftovers
It’s best to reheat leftover soup on the stove in a small saucepan. But you can also heat it back up in th microwave. Place a paper towel on top so that it doesn’t splatter as you heat it up.
Make It Spicier
This is a very mild recipe. If you want to increase the heat, I suggest adding some sliced jalapeno or poblano peppers to the soup with the tomatoes.
But the easiest way to make it spicier is to either sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top or add your favorite hot sauce to the broth.
Other Easy Mexican Recipes:
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Sopa de Coditos
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Sopa de Coditos is a simple yet comforting pasta soup that is a staple in every Mexican household. It’s a super easy-to-make, 6-ingredient elbow pasta in a light and savory tomato broth.
Ingredients
Recipe:
- 8 oz elbow pasta (see above)
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 chiles de arbol (optional for spice 🔥)
- 8 cups vegetable broth (or 8 cups water with 1 Tbsp bouillon)
For protein:
- 1 cup lentils, beans or chickpeas, cooked
For extra veggies:
- 1–2 carrots, diced
Toppings:
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Add tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a blender along with 1 cup of vegetable broth (or 1 cup water with 1 Tbsp bouillon) and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Place a pot on medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pasta and fry until lightly golden brown for about 3-5 minutes. Stir consistently to avoid burning!
- Add the tomato puree once the pasta is golden brown and let simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add diced carrots or choice of diced vegetables at this point.
- Pour vegetable broth into the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, quickly reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until the pasta is soft but not breaking apart.
- Taste and add salt as needed. Add cooked beans, lentils, or your protein of choice!
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Mexican
