Alphabet Soup
This Alphabet Soup is really easy to prepare and is loved by everyone, young and old. I know it is a particular favorite with children since they like to play with their imagination and form words with all those letters floating in the bowl! At home, we still make this soup, even though we don’t have little ones anymore.
This is a Sponsored Post by IMUSA®, I had been using their products at home for several years.
I know this is sentimental, but I like to make this soup in my IMUSA® Blue Enamel pot since it reminds me of when I was a kid playing in the kitchen with grandma, as she always had a big blue enamel pot sitting on her wooden stove.
Later on, I found out that the blue enamel pot was a staple in many houses, and was used for things like tamales or even to make coffee like my grandma did. She would keep the pot of coffee next to the cooking hearth so it would be warm and ready to serve any unexpected visitors. I use mine to make tamales, cook corn on the cob or for nixtamal, and to make batches of soup, like today’s alphabet soup. In case you’re wondering where you can get a nice enamel pot like this one, I got mine from IMUSA®. I own several of their products, from my espresso maker to my little egg frying pan. Their products are safe and easy for cooking.
Now let’s make some Alphabet Soup!
How to make Alphabet Soup
Notes:
- Homemade chicken broth can be substituted for store-bought chicken broth or chicken bouillon mixed with water.
- Some cooks like to add a sprig of cilantro to the soup while it is simmering the Alphabet soup (Sopa de Letras).
- This soup freezes well.
- Chop the tomato, onion, and garlic and place in your blender or food processor with one cup of the chicken broth. Process until the ingredients form a smooth sauce, then set aside.
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the alphabet soup pasta and fry until slightly brown.
- Pour in the tomato sauce using a strainer, bring to a boil, and cook.
- Add the rest of the chicken broth, season with salt, place lid on the pot, and simmer for 8-10 more minutes. Check pasta for doneness. Remove promptly from the heat to avoid overcooking.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
ALPHABET SOUP - SOPA DE LETRAS
Ingredients
- 12 oz. plum tomatoes
- ¼ of a medium size white onion
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pkg. 7.5 oz. alphabet soup
- 8 cups of chicken broth*
- Salt to taste
OPTIONAL FOR GARNISH:
- ½ avocado diced
- ½ cup of Mexican Queso Fresco
- Lime wedges
- Mexican cream
Instructions
- Chop the tomato, onion, and garlic and place in your blender or food processor with one cup of the chicken broth. Process until the ingredients form a smooth sauce, then set aside.
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the alphabet soup pasta and fry until slightly brown (stir often to avoid burning the pasta). This step will take about 2 minutes.
- Pour the tomato sauce using a strainer, bring to a boil, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the chicken broth, season with salt, place lid on the pot, and simmer for 8-10 more minutes. Check pasta for doneness (this pasta cooks really quick). Remove promptly from the heat to avoid overcooking.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Homemade chicken broth can be substituted for store-bought chicken broth or chicken bouillon mixed with water.
- Some cooks like to add a sprig of cilantro to the soup while it is simmering the Alphabet soup (Sopa de Letras).
- This soup freezes well.
Nutrition
Buen Provecho!
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My kids love this!
I sometimes add diced carrots, peas, celery, calabacitas to it! Yum!
Vicky T
I remember traveling to Monterrey, NL to visit my mother’s clan. Tia Inez & Tia Blanca would always prepare sopita de fideo in small porcelain bowls. Mine always had the rooster, painted, in the center. 😊
Yum! Thank you for this recipe! It brings back memories of my dear tia Eva Garza (singer). She made it for me in 1965 when I was 5, and visiting her in Mexico. I’ve always wondered how she mad that delicious alphabet soup. Now I savor the delicious flavor with loving memories.
Hola Olga,
Thank you for sharing about your aunt Eva, I hope you make the soup and enjoy it!
Hola. Im wondering how can I avoid the letters (or fideo) from absorbing all the water? Eh tratado de hacer esta sopa hirviéndola solamente y también como usted sugiera friéndola antes de agregar el agua y siempre me pasa que el fideo/letras se toman el líquido. Al final termino con una sopa seca, aún si le apague al fuego antes. I’ve seen my mom make it and she doesn’t have my problem. What am I doing wrong? Gracias!
Hello Jessica,
Follow this recipe to a ‘T”, and when you arrive at the part of simmering the soup, do not overcook. I used to have this same problem when making pasta soups when I was a newlywed. A neighbor was kind enough to show me the trick to avoid dry pasta. Cook the paste in very low heat, cover the pot where you are cooking the pasta soup, and as soon as you see that the paste is done, remove from the burner or heat immediately. You can make any pasta soup, including this alphabet soup that way.