Lisa Lynn's Fideo Soup

My husband and I love the appetizer portion of fideo soup offered at many Mexican restaurants as the first course to your lunch or dinner order. So let's have it as the main course! Serve in bowls with a side of limes for a squeeze on top of the soup. We like ours as-is but you can garnish with diced avocado, tortilla strips, crumbled pork rinds, or cilantro. Save in one- or two-serving containers for easy reheating.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 149 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 pinch salt to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1 teaspoon chicken soup base (such as Better than Bouillon®)
• 4 cups vegetable broth, divided
• ½ (14 ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 medium tomato, cored and halved
• ½ medium white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 (7 ounce) package fresh mint leaves, lightly crushed, plus more for garnish

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Combine beef broth, chicken broth, and 2 cups vegetable broth in a large pot over medium heat; bring to a simmer.

Step 2

Meanwhile, combine remaining vegetable broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato halves, onion, garlic, and chicken soup base in the bowl of a food processor; blend until fully combined, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the processor blade and set the bowl aside.

Step 3

Heat oil in a 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Add fideo pasta and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Stir in oregano and cumin. Hold a 6-inch strainer over the pan and pour in the blended tomato mixture. Quickly stir the sizzling mixture with a wooden spoon so it doesn't stick or burn; continue stirring for 1 minute. Discard any tomato solids left in the strainer.

Step 4

Pour fideo-tomato mixture into the simmering broth. Increase heat to high and cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and stir in zucchini and salt. Cook until fideo is tender yet firm to the bite, about 2 minutes more.