Easy, Traditional Mexican Sopa de Conchas (Sopita de Conchitas)

mexican vegan sopa de conchas in a bowl over a yellow napkin with a dollop of vegan sour cream and wilted spinach.

Sopa de conchas (Mexican pasta shell soup) is a traditional Mexican soup full of flavor and texture. This sopita recipe is vegan, easy to make, and loved by all. This Mexican soup is so comforting that each spoonful feels like a hug.

About this recipe

Sopa de conchas is a Mexican soup made with shell pasta cooked in a tomato broth, usually called caldillo or recaudo, which is the base for many Mexican recipes.

The broth or caldillo is blended with tomatoes, garlic, and onion. I ate this authentic sopa de conchas recipe almost every week while growing up. It is a typical dish in Mexican families, and each family has its own recipe. Some families make it with beef or chicken broth, while others add carrots. My family makes vegan sopa de conchas with spinach. Some families call it sopa de conchitas which means little shells.

Ingredients for the Mexican shell pasta soup

Vegetable oil
Pasta, dry shell pasta. Some people make this soup with elbow pasta; we call it sopa de coditos.
Tomatoes aroma
Onion
Garlic cloves
5 cups water or vegetable broth
Spinach or any other green you love.

How to make sopa de conchas

Cut the tomatoes in half, quarter the onion, peel the garlic, and blend in with a good pinch of salt until completely pureed.
Preheat the oil over medium heat in a medium-large pot and toast the conchas (shell pasta) until lightly toasted and golden brown. This step gives this Mexican sopa its traditional flavor.
Add the tomato mix and let it sizzle for a minute or so. Add water or vegetable broth and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. You will also know the concha soup is done when the tomato mixture turns light to a deeper red. Add the spinach and let it wilt.

How to serve

You can serve it with a bit of lime juice.
A dollop of Mexican crema or sour cream
A spoonful of salsa, this two-ingredient salsa or the salsa molcajeteada, is a dream with sopa de pasta.
Some families serve it with fried plantains.
Chopped fresh cilantro and diced red onion also work great here
Vegan queso fresco or crumbled feta will also be a garnish for the soup.
Diced avocado is also a winner for topping this Mexican brothy soup (sopa aguada).

A bowl of hearty sopa de conchas with various beans, pasta shells, and spinach, placed on a yellow napkin over a plate. Accompanied by a wooden-handled spoon, a small bowl of chopped herbs, a wooden spoon, a bowl of white sauce or cream, a plate with lime wedges, and a small container of salt.

Tips for making the best vegan sopa de conchas

Don’t let your soup boil; you don’t want the pasta shells to break.
Add vegetables like peas, diced carrots, zucchini (calabacitas), or even cauliflower.
Please do not add cumin or oregano to this soup; not all Mexican food needs them.
You can use any other pasta shape in your pantry, such as letras ( the alphabet), stars, etc.; this soup will also turn out great.

Frequently asked questions

How to make sopa de conchas with tomato broth?

Blend tomatoes, onion, and garlic to make the Mexican tomato sauce, then add this to the fried pasta. The complete instructions are in the recipe card.

How to store?

To store sopa de conchas (a Mexican soup made with shells), you can follow these steps:
Allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature.
Transfer the soup to an airtight container
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
When ready to eat, heat the soup in a pot on the stove until it is hot.

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Sopa de conchas

Alejandra Graf

This vegan sopa de conchas or sopita de conchitas is a Mexican soup staple in every Mexican family. This is my recipe with spinach, and it is a dream in a cold or rainy day.

5 de 1 voto

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Course Soup

Cuisine Mexican

Servings people

Calories 253 kcal

Equipment

blender
5-qt Soup pot

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 oz shell pasta, conchas
1 pound tomatoes
½ medium onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon salt
5 cups water or vegetable broth
6 oz spinach

Instructions

Cut the tomatoes in half, quarter the onion, peel the garlic, and blend in a food processor or blender with a pinch of salt until completely pureed.
Preheat the oil over medium heat in a medium-large pot and toast the pasta until lightly toasted and golden brown. This step gives this Mexican sopa its traditional flavor.
Add the tomato sauce and let it sizzle for a minute or so. Add water or vegetable broth, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. You will also know the pasta soup is done because the tomato mixture goes from a light to a deeper red.
Add the spinach and let it wilt. Check for sesoning and serve with your favorite topping.

Notes

Note: It is not recommended to freeze sopa de conchas as the texture of the shells may become rubbery after being frozen and thawed.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 253kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 9gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 2929mgPotassium: 422mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1571IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

Keyword mexican authentic soup, receta mexicana de sopa, sopa

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information

Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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