This recipe is based on a popular Mexican pasta soup called “Sopa de Conchas” (Pasta Shell Soup). It is very common to find that soup in diners and Mexican homes.
This post was sponsored by Mazola®, but the recipe and some of the opinions are my own.
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The classic version only has the pasta shells in a tomato-based broth, but some people like to add vegetables to make it more nutritious. For this recipe, I’ve added spinach and carrots to the list of ingredients.
This month is Heart Health Month, and together with the added vegetables and heart-healthy* Mazola® Corn Oil, this is a wonderful nourishing soup that can be a part of a balanced diet.
What I love about this soup is that it is fast and easy to make, budget-friendly, and uses items most of us already have on hand. You can also experiment by using different veggies or different types of pasta (you can use elbow macaroni if you like).
The base of this soup is made using tomato, onion, and garlic. The pasta is cooked in the broth, but prior to that, it is lightly sautéed in oil, which helps to enhance the flavor. In this case, I am using Mazola® Corn Oil.
What other pasta soups are popular besides “Sopa de Conchas”?
Soups which include pasta are very common in our everyday Mexican diet. The varieties of shapes of pasta range from the popular “fideo” (vermicelli), elbow macaroni, bow ties, stars, alphabet pasta, clam-shaped pasta, gear-shaped pasta, and of course, these shells, known in Spanish as “conchas”, “conchitas” or “Caracoles”.
When are those soups eaten?
In Mexico, we usually eat these tasty pasta soups for lunch. We serve them as a starter before the main dish of a meal, although for some people the soup can be the main meal. Moreover, these pasta soups are so famous, that many of the popular diner-style restaurants like “Fondas” or “cafeterias” offer a bowl of these soups as part of their menu each day. The pasta soups are very popular with these establishments because they are easy to prepare, very economical, and people love them. It is excellent comfort food!
Things you can add to your Sopa de Conchas
The simplest pasta soup includes only the pasta cooked in a seasoned tomato broth. However, you can get very creative by adding a variety of vegetables or meats. Some of these include squash, green beans, potatoes, and Chayotes. For protein, you can add meatballs or chicken. However this time, we are cooking a Mexican pasta soup with spinach & carrots.
How to Make Mexican Pasta Soup with Spinach
MAKES 4 SERVINGS (1¼ cup each)
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. Mazola® Corn Oil
- ¾ cups of peeled & diced carrots (3.0 oz.)
- 1 large tomato or 2 Plum tomatoes, chopped (10 oz.)
- ⅛ of a large white onion, chopped
- 1 small garlic clove, chopped
- 4 cups of water*
- 1 cup of pasta with a small shell shape (conchas) (3.5oz)
- 2 tsp. Chicken bouillon (see Notes)
- 1½ Cup of Baby Spinach (1.5oz)
- Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Heat the Mazola® Corn Oil in a medium-size saucepan at medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the diced carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes. After this time, they should look semi-cooked and have a bright orange color.
- While the carrots are cooking, place the chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, and 2 cups of water into a blender. Process it to make a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- Now that your carrots have been cooking for 5 minutes, stir in the shell pasta (conchas) and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Stir constantly until you obtain a light golden color on the pasta. It’s ok if the pasta has some golden-brown spots. These brown spots add more flavor!
- Pour the tomato sauce, plus 2 additional cups of water, into the saucepan. Stir in the chicken bouillon, and check to verify if it doesn’t need more salt (according to your taste). Bring the soup to a quick boil by turning the heat to high.
- Once the soup starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat. After this time, add the spinach and stir, then cook for 5 more minutes. Afterward, remove the saucepan from the heat, since you don’t want the spinach to be overcooked. Serve in small bowls and enjoy your Mexican Pasta Soup with Spinach & Carrots!
NOTES:
- Most of the time, this soup is made using water, but if you have chicken broth, you can use that in place of the water and the bouillon.
- This soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you prefer to freeze the leftover soup, store it in an air-tight container for up to 3 weeks.
Other Pasta Soups you might like:
*Very limited and preliminary scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 tablespoon (16 grams) of Corn Oil daily may reduce the risk of heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in Corn Oil. FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim. To achieve this possible benefit, Corn Oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product contains 14 grams of Corn Oil.
📖 Recipe
Mexican Pasta Soup with Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. Mazola® Corn Oil
- ¾ cups of peeled & diced carrots 3.0 oz.
- 1 large tomato or 2 Plum tomatoes chopped (10 oz.)
- ⅛ of a large white onion chopped
- 1 small garlic clove chopped
- 4 cups of water*
- 1 cup of pasta with a small shell shape conchas (3.5oz)
- 2 tsp. Chicken bouillon see Notes
- 1½ Cup of Baby Spinach 1.5oz
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the Mazola® Corn Oil in a medium-size saucepan at medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the diced carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes. After this time, they should look semi-cooked and have a bright orange color.
- While the carrots are cooking, place the chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, and 2 cups of water into a blender. Process it to make a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- Now that your carrots have been cooking for 5 minutes, stir in the shell pasta (conchas) and stir fry for about 3 minutes. Stir constantly until you obtain a light golden color on the pasta. It’s ok if the pasta has some golden-brown spots. These brown spots add more flavor!
- Pour the tomato sauce, plus 2 additional cups of water, into the saucepan. Stir in the chicken bouillon, and check to verify if it doesn’t need more salt (according to your taste). Bring the soup to a quick boil by turning the heat to high.
- Once the soup starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat. After this time, add the spinach and stir, then cook for 5 more minutes. Afterward, remove the saucepan from the heat, since you don’t want the spinach to be overcooked. Serve in small bowls and enjoy your Mexican Pasta Soup with Spinach & Carrots!
Notes
- Most of the time, this soup is made using water, but if you have chicken broth, you can use that in place of the water and the bouillon.
- This soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you prefer to freeze the leftover soup, store it in an air-tight container for up to 3 weeks.
Jean Pepin
Absolutely delicious!! I used 30% less chicken broth and added no salt. I was surprised with such basic ingredients the wonderful flavour.
Kira
I also like to add a hand full of cilantro at the end of cooking.