Sopa Seca de Fideo (Mexican-style Angel Hair Nests) Recipe

Name: Sopa Seca de Fideo (Mexican-Style Angel Hair Nests)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/2 pound angel hair nests or vermicelli (vermicelli usually comes in 1 pound packages, so about 1/2 a package); 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup); 2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1/2 cup crushed canned tomatoes; 2 cups chicken stock; Salt and pepper

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Our favorite way of preparing angel hair nests is a Mexican dish called "sopa seca de fideo." It's a lot like rice pilaf, but made with thin noodles instead of rice.

My mother makes this dish at least once a month and we were raised just calling it by the noodle name, vermicelli. All you have to do is say that word and the collective eyes of our family light up with happy anticipation.

What Does Sopa Seca de Fideo Mean?

The name "sopa seca de fideo" translates to "dry soup with noodles." It's not soup, it's called a "dry soup" because the noodles absorb all of the wonderful rich stock, making the noodles taste more delicious than you can possibly imagine.

Sopa seca de fideo, angel hair nest pasta, first browned in olive oil, then cooked in a broth with tomatoes and onions. — Elise Bauer

What Are Angel Hair Nests?

The dish is made with thin noodles, angel hair pasta or vermicelli. Although it can be made with straight noodles, we always make fideo with the twirled angel hair nests. It’s pretty, easy to cook, and easier to serve that way — one nest, one serving.

Our favorite brand of angel hair nests is De Cecco. They have an 8.8 ounce package that works perfectly for this recipe.

If you can't find angel hair nests at the market, you can make fideo with straight vermicelli pasta. Just break up the pasta in 3 to 4 inch long segments and cook the same way as you would the nests.

How to Make Sopa Seca de Fideo

To make sopa seca de fideo, brown angel hair nests in a hot pan, remove them, simmer tomatoes, onions, and broth, then return the nests to the pan with the broth, cover the pan and let the noodles cook until they've absorbed the liquid in the pan.

Browning the the pasta creates warm nutty flavor notes that you can't get otherwise. It's like toasted versus plain bread.

The trick to a great sopa seca de fideo is the chicken broth. In the hundreds of times we've made this dish over the last fifty years, we've used bouillon (Better than Bouillon), boxed broth, and homemade chicken stock.

While bouillon and the boxes work fine, nothing beats homemade stock for this recipe. It brings a richness that can't be had any other way. So if you try it, I strongly urge you to use homemade stock!

Sopa Seca de Fideo Angel Hair Nests — Elise Bauer

What to Serve With Sopa Seca de Fideo

Think of this dish as you would rice pilaf. It goes with almost anything. We serve it alongside steak, pork chops, fried fish, and chicken. Because we make it with chicken stock, it is especially good with fried or roasted chicken dishes. It also works well as a side to classic Mexican dishes, as an alternative to Spanish or Mexican rice.

More Angel Hair Pasta Dishes to Try

Sopa Seca de Fideo (Mexican-Style Angel Hair Nests)

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 4 servings

If you can't find angel hair nests at the market, you can make fideo with straight vermicelli pasta. Just break up the pasta in 3 to 4 inch long segments and cook the same way as you would the nests, browning them first in hot oil.

1/2 pound angel hair nests or vermicelli (vermicelli usually comes in 1 pound packages, so about 1/2 a package)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 1/2 cup crushed canned tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper

Brown the angle hair nests:

Choose a frying pan with a lid in which the angel hair nests will all tightly fit in a single layer (about 9 or 10-inches wide, depending on the brand of angel hair nests you use). In the pan, heat the oil until shimmering hot.

Working in batches, fry the vermicelli angel hair nests on both sides in the hot oil until golden brown in color. Remove from pan.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Sauté tomatoes and onion, add broth:

Add the chopped onions to the pan and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes. Add the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Cook angel hair nests in simmering broth:

Bring the stock mixture to a simmer. When stock is simmering, place the browned angel hair nests or vermicelli in a single layer in the pan, nestled into the broth. The nests should cover the whole pan. Turn them over in the stock so that they get moistened on all sides.

Cover and cook until the vermicelli has soaked up the liquid, about 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes the top of the vermicelli is dry, flip over the individual angel hair nests and cook a minute longer.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Serve:

Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
382	Calories
16g	Fat
48g	Carbs
11g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	382
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g	21%
Saturated Fat 2g	12%
Cholesterol 4mg	1%
Sodium 284mg	12%
Total Carbohydrate 48g	18%
Dietary Fiber 3g	12%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 6mg	31%
Calcium 33mg	3%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 326mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.