This Sopita recipe is a simple and economical Mexican shell soup similar to chicken noodle soup. It's usually made with pasta and a rich tomato-based chicken broth, but you can make it heartier with just a few minor tweaks. Serve sopitas with chile sauce for a spicy kick!
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Sopita de Conchas means sea shell soup in Spanish. The best way to describe it is as an elevated version of Campbell's SpaghettiOs. This tasty Mexican noodle soup can be enjoyed whenever you want a simple entree that's ready in under 30 minutes.
You'll find that this dish goes by many different names based on the type of pasta that's used. As I've already mentioned, Sopita de Conchas means shell soup. However, there's also Sopita de Fideo. Sopa de Fideo is made with fideo, vermicelli, or angel hair pasta.
But that is not all! There's also Sopita de Estrellas, which is prepared with star pasta, and Sopita de Letras, which is the Mexican version of alphabet soup.
You can make this sopitas recipe as simple or as custom as you'd like. Follow the recipe instructions for the simple version or add diced chicken, ground beef, shrimp, or your favorite veggies to kick it up a notch or two!
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pasta: There are many types of pasta that you can use besides shells. Try substituting elbow macaroni, vermicelli noodles, or alphabet pasta. No matter what type of pasta you use, make sure you sauté it first.
- Stock: I like to use chicken stock or homemade broth in this soup, especially if I'm not adding any protein. However, in a pinch, you can use chicken bouillon cubes or powder.
- Tomato Sauce: The tomatoey flavor of the soup comes from crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, or tomato salsa. In this recipe, we'll be using one can of crushed tomatoes.
- Spices: All you really need to flavor the soup is salt and black pepper. However, I also like to add Mexican oregano and crushed red pepper to give it some heat.
- Veggies: To make a heartier soup, you can add your favorite veggies. Some popular options include carrots, bell peppers, green beans, zucchini, and peas.
- Protein: You can also add chicken, ground beef, or shrimp to make it even more filling!
- Garnish: To garnish, serve the soup with lime wedges, chopped cilantro, scallions, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
🍲 How to Make Sopita de Conchas
Step 1: Heat oil in a medium pot and add pasta shells. Sauté the shells for a few minutes over medium heat, then add minced onion. Cook until the shells are toasted and the onion is soft.
Step 2: Pour chicken stock or broth, sea salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes over the pasta. Add one can of crushed tomatoes and stir to combine.
Step 3: Add crushed garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the shells are tender and the soup is reduced.
Looking for other tasty soup recipes? Be sure to try this classic Italian Escarole Soup from Gina at RunningToTheKitchen.com!
🍽 What to Serve with Mexican Shell Soup
Sopita de Conchas or "sopitas" can be served as a main dish or as a side dish. Just ladle the hot soup into bowls and add a squeeze of lime juice and crumbled queso fresco. You can also serve the soup with any of the following:
- warm tortillas
- chopped cilantro
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- hot sauce
- sliced serrano peppers
- chopped scallions
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Sopita is a Mexican soup made with tomato-based broth and pasta. It also includes diced onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Sometimes veggies, for example, fresh Roma tomatoes or carrots, and protein are also added.
Sopa de Conchas is Spanish for sea shell (conch) soup.
Sopitas (Mexican soup) is seasoned with salt and black pepper. Sometimes other seasonings are added, including cumin, chile powder, and garlic powder.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you prefer your Mexican shell soup with more liquid, I recommend reducing the amount of shells you use instead of increasing the broth. Increasing the broth can make the soup taste watered down.
- Sopitas is better enjoyed when you first make it. As it sits, the shells continue to absorb the broth, so the soup gets quite condensed.
- Store the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. Melt some cheese into it when you reheat it and call it Mexican Mac n Cheese!
🍅 Other Soup Recipes
- Lemon coriander soup with chicken
- African chicken stew
- Roasted pumpkin soup
- Spicy yogurt and herb soup
- Swiss chard soup
🥘 Related Recipes
If you enjoy this Mexican Sopitas recipe, you may enjoy these other Mexican food recipes as well!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat oil in a medium pot and add pasta shells. Sauté the shells for a few minutes over medium heat then add minced onion. Cook until the shells are toasted and the onion is soft.
- Pour chicken stock or broth, sea salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes over the pasta. Add one can of crushed tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Add crushed garlic cloves and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the shells are tender and the soup is reduced.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you prefer your soup with more liquid, I recommend reducing the amount of shells you use instead of increasing the broth. Increasing the broth can make the soup taste watered down.
- This soup is better enjoyed when you first make it. As it sits, the shells continue to absorb the broth so the soup gets quite condensed.
- Store the leftovers in an air-tight container and melt some cheese into it when you reheat it and call it Mexican Mac n Cheese!
myGiftsy shop says
This Sopita Mexican shell soup recipe looks flavorful, comforting, and perfect for a cozy meal—thanks for sharing, very helpful!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you for your comment!
Nancy says
I’m interested in the suggestion to add cheese and make it Mexican Mac ‘N Cheese. Can you give more specific information on what type of cheese and how to add it please?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Nancy, We just add some shredded Mexican cheese blend as a topping and stir it in, but I suppose you can get creative with it and add other options like Queso Fresco, or even nacho cheese!
Jacky says
the recipe doesn't say how much garlic
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Jacky, Thank you for pointing that out, I'm so surprised that no one else has! I went ahead and updated the recipe, but you'll want to use 2 cloves. Thank you!
Tracy says
Very tasty recipe. A touch spicy, so be warned if seving little ones.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Tracy, thanks for the comment, and yes, we like it a little spicy, but easily adjustable, especially if you know you'll be serving kids. Enjoy! 🙂