Fideo

Fideo is one of those authentic Mexican dishes that you probably won’t ever see in a Mexican restaurant. Although a versatile dish that can be modified to become a soup (“sopa”) or tweaked to become a more refined dish that is guest-worthy, the recipe presented here is the one that I grew up on.

Basic Ingredients

• Onion
• Noodles (fideo corto)
• Chicken broth
• Tomato sauce
• Cumin

This quick and easy family recipe has a few basic ingredients…onion, noodles, chicken broth, and tomato sauce. Throw in a few spices and in 15 minutes you are good to go.  I serve it in place of Spanish rice (which I confess, I can’t make!) .

Making sure you get the right type of noodle is key. You want the package labeled “fideo” or “fideo corto.” The type shown below is the “corto” (short) kind.

Another important ingredient is the broth. The best type is homemade. If you don’t have that—and I usually don’t—regular chicken broth will do.  And if you don’t have that, you can substitute “pollo” or chicken bullion.

As with almost all great Mexican dishes, you start with chopping onions.

Then, you fry it up in a little bit of oil.  I use olive oil, but canola works well, too.

Then add the fideo and toast until brown.

When the fideo is toasty brown, add a little chicken broth to the pan. Careful! It will sizzle a bit.

You’re only trying to coat the bottom of the pan so that when you do the next step, adding the tomato sauce, it won’t sizzle as much.

Add the tomato sauce, then finish adding the rest of the broth and stir up. Add cumin and garlic salt. The amount of garlic salt will vary depending on if you used chicken broth or pollo.  Pollo has a lot of sodium, so if you use it, omit the garlic salt.

It will look soupy, but don’t worry. Because you used fideo, it will absorb the liquid quickly. To assist in this, be sure to cover the pan.

Don’t laugh. It gets the job done.

Check every few minutes and you’ll see that it is absorbing. Give it a stir and pull off the burner when it gets to the consistency that you like.

Serving suggestions

• Grilled Nopales
• Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
• Pinto Beans

Enjoy fideo as a side dish in place of Mexican rice. I like it served with beans, or as a side to enchiladas.  Another way to eat it: breakfast burritos.  Delicious!

You Might Like These Too!

• Mexican Rice
• Mexican Macaroni

Fideo

Thin pasta is skillet-toasted with onions, then cooked in chicken broth, tomato sauce, and spices until absorbed. Mexican noodles fast and easy.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Four to Cook for

Equipment

• Skillet

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 14 ounces fideo corto (about 2 bags)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 14 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth or pollo
• 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoons garlic salt omit if using pollo

Instructions

• In a skillet over medium heat, saute the chopped onions in a little oil until they are translucent (about five minutes).
• Add fideo and saute until the noodles are toasty color.
• Add a little chicken broth, then add all of the tomato sauce and the rest of the chicken broth.
• Mix together and add the cumin (and garlic salt if you need it).
• Cover and check-and-stir in a few minutes. Repeat until the fideo is the consistency that you like.

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