Sopitas
on Dec 12, 2023, Updated Mar 14, 2024
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This quick and easy Sopitas recipe is the perfect addition to any chilly weeknight. With only a few ingredients and some simple spices you will have a tasty, comforting, and warm bowl of soup ready to eat in no time!
If you like soup then you will love my easy-to-make sopitas! The pasta shells in this tomato based soup have a rich, earthy flavor and are complemented by the savory flavor of chicken bouillon powder.
You will love how the crumbled queso fresco brings this dish together. Queso fresco has a similar texture and flavor to parmesan cheese, so if you can’t find any at your local grocery store feel free to switch it out!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a warm and cozy comfort food!
- Simple but full of flavor!
- Comes together quickly for a nice side or main dish!
What Is Sopitas?
This traditional Spanish soup typically includes browned pasta, a savory broth, and sweet tomato sauce. This dish can be served as a main dish, but is more commonly served as a side. In fact, “sopita” translates to little soup. The simplicity of this dish has made it incredibly popular over the years and sustained its longevity in the world of cooking.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pasta Shells—Uncooked.
- Olive Oil—To brown your pasta shells.
- Dried Minced Onion—Adds a slightly sweet flavor to your soup.
- Garlic Powder—Can be replaced with freshly minced garlic cloves.
- Chicken Bouillon Powder—To create a broth and add a savory taste to your sopitas.
- Water—The base of your soup.
- Tomato Sauce—To help thicken the soup and add a rich flavor.
- Queso Fresco—A light and fresh cheese to contrast with the warm soup.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Sopitas
Step #1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the pasta shells and cook them for until about half of the shells have browned.
Step #2. Stir in the minced onion, garlic powder, and bouillon powder until the spices have evenly coated the pasta shells.
Step #3. Add the water and tomato sauce. Stir to combine and then bring the mixture to a boil.
Step #4. Once the soup is boiling, cover it with a lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Top with the crumbled cheese, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
If you want to add a little extra creaminess to your soup then try adding a few tablespoons of cream cheese or about ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream after your sopitas is finished cooking. Both of these options will add a nice, rich creaminess to your soup.
If you have never browned your pasta before cooking, you might find this step a little bit strange. The main reason to brown the pasta first is to add a slight nuttiness to them. This in turn will give your pasta more flavor and texture.
These two types of cheeses are very similar in texture and are typically used interchangeably. They both have a crumbly texture and don’t melt easily. The biggest difference is that cotija cheese has a slightly stronger taste. Keep that in mind when substituting these cheeses, but if you can’t find queso fresco for this recipe, cotija will work great!
Expert Tips
- Be careful not to burn your pasta shells when you are browning them in olive oil! In order to avoid this, make sure to stir the pasta regularly.
- If you are using fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, mince 3 cloves and add them to the pot along with your pasta shells to release the flavor!
- If you cannot find queso fresco or cotija cheese at your local grocery store, then you can use Parmesan cheese! These cheeses are very similar, but you will find that Parmesan cheese has a slightly sharper flavor. It will still taste delicious on top of your soup!
- This recipe works with small or medium pasta shells. If you have a different shape of pasta, you can use that in a pinch. Whatever you use, you will want about 2 – 2 ½ cups of uncooked noodles!
How to Serve Sopitas
Sopitas is usually served as a side dish to bring a meal together, or as a first course meal. My favorite guacamole, refried beans or chicken tostada would taste great with sopitas. However you choose to serve it, there are many garnishes that you can add along with the queso fresco cheese. I love to slice an avocado to put in the soup, squeeze a little bit of lime juice on top for added zest, or chop some fresh cilantro and sprinkle it in and serve. There are many ingredients that go wonderfully in this soup, so feel free to play around with it!
How to Store Your Leftovers
If you have any leftover sopitas, you can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container! When you are ready to enjoy it again, you can reheat it one serving at a time in the microwave. Start with 45 seconds, stir, and then put it back in again in 40 second increments as needed until the soup is warm. You will want to cover your dish with a paper towel or paper plate to prevent any splatter in your microwave.
More Soup Recipes To Consider
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Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Sopitas
Ingredients
- 2 cups small shell pasta, uncooked
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the pasta shell and cook them for about 5 minutes, or until about half the shells have browned.
- Stir in the minced onion, garlic powder, and bouillon powder until the spices evenly coat the pasta shells.
- Add the water and tomato sauce. Stir to combine and then bring the mixture to a boil. Once the soup is boiling, cover it with a lid and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes.
- Top with the crumbled cheese, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- If you cannot find queso fresco or cojita cheese at your local grocery store then you can use Parmesan cheese. The two cheeses are very similar, but Parmesan cheese has a slightly sharper flavor.
- You want to be careful not to burn your pasta shells. In order to avoid this, stir your pasta regularly.
- You can also top this soup with some fresh cilantro or a squeeze of lime juice.
- Store your leftover Sopitas in this fridge for up to 5 days and reheat a serving in the microwave. Start with 45 seconds, stir, and as 40 seconds as needed to fully reheat the soup.
- If you want to you can use fresh garlic. Mince 3 cloves of garlic and add them to the pot along with your pasta shells to release the flavor.
- This recipe works with small or medium pasta shells. Either way you will want about 2 – 2 1/2 cups of uncooked noodles.
Made this recipe just like it advised and was most pleased. Will do it again. Thank you.