This quick and easySopitasrecipe is perfect for any chilly weeknight. With only a few ingredients and simple spices, you will have a tasty, comforting, and warm bowl of soup ready to eat quickly!

white bowl with a serving of sopitas recipe.

This traditional Spanish soup typically includes browned pasta, a savory broth, and sweet tomato sauce. This dishcan 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.

If you like soup,you will love my easy-to-make sopita!The pasta shells in this tomato-based soup have arich, earthy flavor,which is complemented by the savory flavor of chicken bouillon powder. You will love how the crumbled queso fresco brings this dish together.

POV spoonful of sopitas being scooped out of a white bowl.

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!

Recipe Ingredients

Pasta –I use a small shell pasta
Olive oil
Seasonings –dried minced onion, garlic powder
Chicken bouillon powder
Tomato sauce
Queso fresco

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Sopitas

sauce pan with raw pasta for sopitas ingredients.

Step 1:Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the pasta shells and cook until about half of them are 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

How can I make my soup creamier?

If you want to add a little extra creaminess to your soup, add a few tablespoons of cream cheese or about ¼ cups of heavy whipping cream after your sopita finishes cooking. Both of these options will add a nice, rich creaminess to your soup.

Why do I need to brown the pasta first?

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, which will, in turn, give your pasta more flavor and texture.

Is queso fresco cheese the same as cotija cheese?

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!

saucepan with cooked sopitas pasta being spooned out of the saucepan.

Expert Tips

Be careful not to burn your pasta shells whenbrowning themin olive oil! To avoid this,stir the pasta regularly.
If you use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder, mince 3 cloves and add them to the pot andyour pasta shells to release the flavor!
If you cannot find queso fresco or cotija cheese at your local grocery store,you can use Parmesan cheese!These cheeses are very similar, butParmesan 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 pasta shape, 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 favoriteguacamole,refried beansorchicken tostada,tastes great with sopitas.

However you choose to serve it, you can addmany garnishesalong 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!