This Sopita Recipe is a popular and simple Mexican soup recipe made using shell pasta, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. It is affordable, versatile, and so easy to make!
In a medium-large pot, heat the oil to a medium high heat.
Add the white onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Then add the garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant.
Add the uncooked pasta. Stir the pasta until it toasts and turns brown, making sure to not let it burn.
Once the pasta is toasted, add the water, tomato sauce, and chicken bouillon powder. Stir to combine.
Bring the water to a boil, then boil the pasta for about 7-8 minutes or until the noodles are cooked all the way through.
Spoon the soup into a bowl, squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top, add some crumbled queso fresco, and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
Pasta: You can use many different types of pasta in this recipe. Most recipes call for using small shells, but if you can’t find any, medium shells will work.
Tomato Sauce: Some recipes call for blending up fresh tomatoes and using the resulting juice, but for an easy recipe, I use canned tomato sauce.
Chicken Bouillon Powder: You can find chicken bouillon powder in the grocery store. I recommend the powder as opposed to the chicken bouillon cubes or the gel, because the powder dissolves best in the liquid. Some recipes call for the tomato flavored chicken bouillon. Either will work.
Toppings: You can get lime juice, queso fresco, or cotija cheese for the individual bowls. In a pinch parmesan will be a delicious, if not authentic, substitute.
If you are using larger shells or a different shape of pasta, your cook time may differ. Check the back of the box for approximate cook time. I’ve made this with medium shells and it was also delicious!
Toast your pasta on a lower heat so that the onions don’t burn while you are waiting for the shells to brown!
If you want even more flavor, feel free to add more chicken bouillon powder into the pot. Proceed with caution, as the bouillon powder is rather salty…. I made that mistake once. Start small and add more as desired.