Fideo Seco
If you’re looking for the best Fideo Seco recipe, look no further. Fideo Seco is a comforting Mexican pasta dish inspired by my travels to Oaxaca. In this recipe, fideo noodles are toasted in oil to enhance their rich, nutty flavor, then slowly simmered in a luscious tomato broth infused with guajillo peppers.
Equipment
- Large heavy pot (cast iron if possible) with lid
- Silicone or wooden spatula
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup diced white onion, about 1 small onion
- 3 medium garlic cloves, mashed
- 1 pound tomatoes, about 3-4 medium Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 3 dry guajillo peppers, stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces (or 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 14 ounces fideo noodles
- salt, to taste
OPTIONAL GARNISHES
- avocado, sliced or cubed
- red onion, sliced or diced
- fresh cilantro
- crema Mexicana
- queso fresco, crumbled
Instructions
- First, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and separate into smaller pieces until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Light browning of onions adds flavor.
- Next, add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until soft.
- Reduce heat to low-medium and add tomatoes, optional guajillo peppers, and salt. Cover and simmer until mixture is jam-like in texture and ingredients are no longer raw, about 30 minutes.
- Next, in a separate large pot, add 2 more tablespoons of oil over low-medium heat. Once hot (test with one noodle – it should simmer when added to the oil), add fideo and toast until browned. Using a spatula, stir frequently to avoid burning. If noodles start to turn dark brown in color, remove pot and lower heat before resuming. Noodles should brown slowly and gradually over the course of approximately 6-10 minutes.
- Add 3 cups of broth and 1 to 1½ cups of homemade tomato sauce to your noodles and stir. Taste and adjust for salt before stirring one last time. Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Once you can just begin to see the noodles through the tomatoey broth, lower to lowest heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is fully absorbed, after about 25 minutes. Do not be tempted to open the lid until after your timer has gone off!
- Serve hot with as many or as few garnishes and you’d like! I top mine with a drizzle of crema Mexicana, sliced avocado, thinly sliced red onion, a sprig of fresh cilantro, and crumbled queso fresco. I reheat it the next day and top it with a fried egg for breakfast!
A Note from Lola
Only garnish what you're eating: I typically only garnish the entire pot if I’m hosting a crowd and know that it’s going to finish, otherwise I just let everyone add what they like so that I can store the leftovers without the fresh garnishes.
If you're pressed for time: feel free to blend the tomato sauce ingredients first, then "fry" the sauce in 2 tablespoons of oil until it reduces slightly and turns deep orange in color. You can make this tomato sauce for this recipe in advance and freeze it!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 252kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 422mgPotassium: 209mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 822IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
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