Mexican Shell Soup (Sopa de Conchas)

This Mexican shell soup is quick to make and uses only 6 simple ingredients! The tomato broth is SO flavorful and made from scratch within minutes. Perfect side dish or full meal to make on a weeknight and naturally vegan.

If you are looking for a new easy and quick weeknight dinner recipe, then you have got to try this Mexican shell soup.

It is also called "Sopa de Conchas" or "Mexican Sopita Shell" and it is one of the most flavorful yet simple broths we have had for a while. It is a classic filling soup part of the Mexican cuisine and wow, it is SO delicious I couldn’t resist sharing it here.

It consists of toasted shell noodles that are simmering in a homemade tomato broth. It carries light aromas of cilantro and garlic and the broth is light and delicate, super satisfying. It really is quite simple to prepare and should be ready within 20 minutes, making it a tasty meal that you can make on busy weeknights and that your whole family will love, even picky kids.

Plus, it is made using only 6 common pantry ingredients! All you need are fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, shell noodles, veggie broth and cilantro. It also is super versatile and can be used as a basic soup recipe to add on all your favorite veggies and Mexican toppings when serving.

The secret that makes this ridiculously simple recipe so flavorful is 1: toast the noodles to golden brown and 2- make your own light tomato broth. These 2 extra steps only take a few minutes to make, but will turn an otherwise very simple soup into a stunning meal that's really packed with interesting flavors.

Let me know if you gave it a try! ❤️

What is a Mexican shell soup

Mexican shell soup can also be called "Sopa de Conchas" and is a variation of the popular Mexican recipe "Sopa de Fideo". Both versions are made with a light broth and pasta: fideo includes vermicelli noodles and concha uses shell noodles.

A classic sopa de conchas is more often made using a rich tomato-based broth to flavor the soup and usually also is made using chicken broth, but I obviously used vegetable broth in this case and it worked out perfectly.

It is a very simple recipe that's often served as an appetizer or side dish alongside other Mexican dishes.

Highlights of this recipe

• Easy and quick recipe
• Very versatile soup
• Features a homemade and very flavorful rich tomato broth
• Made only with 6 ingredients
• Filling and satisfying
• Budget-friendly recipe
• Fits many diets: vegan, dairy-free and can be made gluten-free easily

Ingredients you'll need

• Shell pasta: use medium size or mini shells for this recipe, both will work. I used half of a box of 16 ounces. Shell noodles have a cavity that helps hold on to the broth so you have more in each bite. If you don't have shell noodles, then use any short noodles you have, such as macaroni.
• Vegetable broth: use a broth that you already love on its own, the soup is very simple so the flavor from the broth matters! You can use store bought or make your own vegetable broth!
• Onion: I used half of an onion to flavor the tomato broth without overpowering the taste.
• Garlic: use as much as you want. The garlic is blended with the tomatoes, but you could add extra cloves when toasting the noodles for a stronger garlicky taste.
• Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes work well for this recipe. I used 3 medium-large tomatoes.
• Cilantro: The whole stems are simmered with the broth and then removed, so there are no pieces of cilantro within the soup unless you add some more. The flavor from cilantro is only light and might please even someone that does not like cilantro.

How to make a Mexican shell soup

This soup is pretty simple and quite fast to prepare!

Blend the tomato broth

In a blender, add 2 of the tomatoes, half the onion, garlic cloves and water. Blend on high until smooth. Set aside.

Toast the shells

Warm up a medium-large pot with a little oil (I like using an oil spray) and then, toast the shells on medium-high heat until golden brown. Watch carefully and stir often so they don't burn!

Pre-cook the shells

Once the noodles look toasted to your taste, then pour the blended tomato broth over with a pinch of salt. You can first turn down the heat a bit before pouring the broth to prevent large splatters.

Stir well, bring to a simmer and then cover. Keep cooking on a low simmer for 5-7 minutes watching carefully so it does not stick to the bottom (stir once in a while).

Simmer

Then, pour the vegetable broth over and add the third chopped tomato and cilantro stems. Stir and cover. Bring to a simmer and then, keep simmering until the noodles are done to your liking.

Serve right away with extra chopped cilantro and lime wedges, if desired. Enjoy!

Cooking tips

• Don't skip on toasting the pasta! It really adds a pleasant nutty flavor to the soup and it only takes 5 minutes to do.
• The pasta shells will burn quickly! Stay around the pot while you roast them.
• You can also roast the veggies (tomatoes, onion and garlic) in the oven before blending to add more flavors. Simply place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400º for about 20 minutes. Then, keep going with the recipe as described.

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Serving suggestions

For a stronger cilantro flavor, then add some extra chopped cilantro over your bowl at serving. This soup also works well with a little zesty lime juice to brighten up the soup, so I recommend to serve with a few wedges of lime.

You can also add all sort of Mexican toppings when serving, such as:

• Sour cream for a creamy touch
• Fresh green or red onions
• Crushed tortilla chips for more texture
• Mexican-style vegan cheese

Variations to the recipe

The classic Mexican shell soup is very simple and consists on just onion-garlic-tomatoes-cilantro to flavor the broth and shell noodles. But, if you don't mind having a less traditional soup, then you can add so much more to it! Here are a few suggestions:

• Vegetables: to make this recipe super hearty, then you can add a tons of extra veggies, but especially, diced carrots or celery, zucchini, peas or green beans and corn. You can also include leafy greens at the end just so they can wilt.
• Spices: feel-free to include more spices, such as cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, etc to the blender to add more flavor. Dried oregano works well in Mexican recipes and would also be a good addition.
• Beans: to make this soup more filling especially if serving as a full meal, then simply add a can of black beans, pinto beans or kidney beans.
• Spicy: cayenne pepper and chipotle pepper would add more heat to the broth. Or, you can also include a jalapeño pepper to the blender for a nice kick!
• Smoky: smoked paprika works well to add a nice smoky flavor to the broth, but also, you can blend a whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce from a can to really boost the flavor!
• Creamy: to make the broth rich and creamy, then try adding a 5.4 oz of unsweetened coconut cream once the soup is all done.

Storage tips

Like most soups made with pasta, this recipe is best served right away since the noodles will keep soaking on the broth and the soup will turn thicker.

If you do have leftovers, just keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can add extra broth before reheating in the microwave or on the stove.

I don't recommend freezing this recipe.

FAQ's

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I hope you like this Mexican shell soup recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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