Sopa de Coditos (Mexican Macaroni Soup)

Sopa de coditos is a popular Mexican macaroni soup recipe. It’s a versatile dish that can be easily adjusted to suit your taste. This soup is an inexpensive, comforting and delicious meal that is sure to impress the whole family. If you enjoy this recipe you’ll have to check out fideo loco next!

Sopa de coditos or Mexican macaroni soup goes by a lot of names. You may have also heard it referred to as “sopa aguada” or “sopa con carne molida”.

The way this soup is prepared will vary between homes and personal preferences however it typically consists of elbow macaroni or another type of pasta simmered in a flavorful tomato broth.

Sometimes ground beef or chicken is added. The version I’m sharing today is made with ground beef.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• It’s inexpensive – This recipe is made with mostly staple pantry items that you most likely already have on hand.
• It’s versatile – Sopa de coditos is very versatile and can be easily adjusted to what you have in your kitchen at the moment.
• Both kids and adults will love it – This is a dish that will please everyone. It’s not spicy however it can be made spicy just by adding a jalapeno.

Ingredients needed

• Elbow pasta – Elbow pasta is what I used in this recipe however, shell pasta or even fideo will work just as well.
• Ground beef – I like to use ground beef with a 80% to 20% lean to fat ratio. You can use the ground beef of your choice.
• Tomato sauce – I used leftover tomato sauce that I had in my refrigerator that needed to be used. Fresh tomatoes could also be used but they will need to be blended into a sauce.
• Veggies – Onion and garlic are the only veggies I used however, other veggies such as carrots, celery or zucchini make great additions.
• Spices and seasonings – This soup gets it’s amazing flavor from a variety of spices and seasonings such as granulated garlic, onion powder, ground cumin, chicken bouillon, Mexican oregano and an envelope of Sazon Goya (The one with culantro and achiote).
• Olive oil – For toasting the pasta. Vegetable or canola can be substituted.

How to make sopa de coditos

Heat up the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then add the elbow pasta. Toast the pasta for about 5 minutes or until they turn a golden brown color. Make sure to stir frequently while toasting to prevent the pasta from burning.

Once the pasta is nice and toasted, transfer it to a plate and set aside.

Next add the ground beef to the skillet. Break it up with a spatula. Cook for about 5 -7 minutes or until the ground beef is cooked through.

Transfer the ground beef to a paper towel lined bowl to drain. Make sure to leave about a tablespoon of grease in the skillet.

Then add the sliced onion to the skillet and cook for a few minutes. Next add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Now add the ground beef back to the skillet and season with the granulated garlic, onion powder, ground cumin, chicken bouillon, Mexican oregano and the Sazon Goya culantro and achiote seasoning. Mix together well.

Now it’s time to stir in the tomato sauce and water. Check the broth for salt and add more chicken bouillon or salt if needed. Then bring the broth to a boil over medium high heat.

Add the pasta to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cover the skillet and let the soup cook for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Then the soup is ready. You can garnish the soup with fresh chopped cilantro but this is optional.

Thank you so much for visiting! I hope you will enjoy this sopa recipe as much as we do! Making soup from pasta is very common in Mexican households. There’s sopa de conchas (shell soup) and sopa de fideo. These soups can also be referred to as simply sopita.

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