Sopa de conchas | Mexican Pasta shell soup

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.

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.

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

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. This authentic sopa de conchas recipe I ate almost every week growing up.

It is a typical dish in Mexican families, and each family has its recipe. Some families make it with beef or chicken broth, while others add carrots. In my family, we make vegan sopa de conchas with spinach.

Some families call it sopa de conchitas which means little shells.





Ingredients for the Mexican shell pasta soup

How to make sopa de conchas

  1. Cut the tomatoes in half, quarter the onion, peel the garlic, and blend in with a good pinch of salt until completely pureed.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 because the tomato mixture goes from a 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).
mexican vegan sopa de conchas in a white bowl and topping on the side

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.

Use any other pasta shape in your pantry, alphabet, stars, etc.; this soup will also turn out great.

Frequently asked questions

Other vegan Mexican sopas

mexican vegan sopa de conchas 4

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 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 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

information

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

Did you make this recipe?Tag @piloncilloyvainilla on Instagram and hashtag it #alecooks so we can all see your creations.
Alejandra Graf
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