Mexican Star Soup
Mexican star soup is a vibrant and comforting dish that brings together the rich flavors of Mexican cuisine with a twist, featuring tiny star-shaped pasta swimming in a savory tomato-based broth.
This Mexican inspired tomato and pasta soup recipe is one of my favorite Mexican cuisine inspired recipe after this Chicken tinga soup. Its made of tomato soup and star shaped pasta also known as sopa de estrellitas. I’ve taken the concept of the classic Mexican star soup recipe and make a replicate version of my own and it still had the main flavor profile like the authentic recipe.
Ingredients
Detailed quantities are on the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Pasta (uncooked): The theme in this pasta soup is the star-shaped pasta. In some countries its not easy to get this type of pasta so you can use any. I used orzo pasta.
- Broth: I went with chicken broth but you can also use beef broth or chicken bouillon cube diluted with boiling water.
- Tomatoes: I love fresh ingredients over canned but you are not me so if its canned tomatoes you prefer to use then go right ahead. I think a can will be enough.
- Tomato paste: the more tomato ingredients the better, paste or puree. I’m also thinking if you use canned you may not need this, please let me know in the comments if you tried it this way.
- Olive oil
- Onion: Sauteed onions are always my base for cooking soups so yeah nothing different this time.
- Garlic: minced garlic
- Seasoning: I used dried oregano, black pepper, paprika and a pinch of salt. You are welcome to use any of your favorite of spices.
How to make Mexican star soup
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic if it’s cloves.
- In a saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent. this could take up to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grate the tomatoes then add them to the onions. Cook these with the lid off for 5 minutes.
- You can go in with the star-shaped pasta or any pasta of your choice. Followed by seasoning and tomato paste then chicken broth.
- Allow the soup to cook with the lid closed just until the pasta is cooked. Once the pasta is cooked, the average time it takes for the pasta to cook is 8-10 minutes. Do a taste test and adjust seasoning if needed then your Mexican star soup is ready to be serve. See my tips below on how to adjust flavors and taste.
Tips & mistakes to avoid for beginner cooks
- Don’t use water in place of broth cause this can result in a less flavorful soup; using chicken broth adds depth to this Mexican star soup.
- If you decide to use store-bought broth like me, please do a taste test before you add seasoning that contains salt because broths are salty on their own unless you bought a low-sodium one.
- Tomatoes are acidic by nature, if your soup taste too acidic then you can balance that off with something sugary like honey or just sugar. A teaspoon wont hurt.
- If you end up with a super salty soup, add water and thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. A potato will also absorb the salt but in this tomato and pasta soup recipe cooking the soup longer that you should will result in over cooked pasta.
How to store and reheat leftover pasta soup
Always allow your Mexican star soup to cool down to room temperature. Transfer the leftover tomato and pasta soup into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze for a longer period you can store it in an airtight container or ziplock bags, ziplock bags save space in your freezer. It can be stored for up to 3 months.
How to reheat
From the fridge, you can warm it in the microwave or on a stove. In a small saucepan, heat it over medium heat until it’s warm, if the soup is watery, just let it simmer on medium heat with the pot uncovered for the excess liquid to evaporate.
From the freezer, thaw it in the fridge or over the counter then use the methods mentioned above to reheat.
More tomato based soup recipes to add to your rotation
Mexican Star Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Pasta (uncooked) (Star-shaped or any pasta)
- 1 cup Chicken broth
- 2 Tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion
- 1 tbsp Garlic
- Seasoning Dried oregano, black pepper, paprika and a pinch of salt)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic if it's cloves.
- In a saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent. this could take up to 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grate the tomatoes then add them to the onions. Cook these with the lid off for 5 minutes.
- You can go in with the star-shaped pasta or any pasta of your choice. Followed by seasoning and tomato paste then chicken broth.
- Allow the soup to cook with the lid closed just until the pasta is cooked. Once the pasta is cooked, the average time it takes for the pasta to cook is 8-10 minutes. Do a taste test and adjust seasoning if needed then serve. See my tips above in the post on how to adjust flavors and taste.
