Sopa Seca Mexican Noodle Casserole Recipes

SOPA SECA: MEXICAN NOODLE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush a 9-inch square baking dish with oil.
• Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the fideos and cook, turning them with tongs, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the bundles and any broken pieces to a plate.
• Add the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic, coriander, oregano, chili powder, and bay leaf, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the diced tomatoes with their juices.
• Add the chipotles, increase the heat to high, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the broth, the toasted fideos, salt, and pepper, to taste.
• Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently, uncovered, breaking up the fideos with a spoon, for about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the chicken.
• Remove the bay leaf.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, sprinkle the grated cheese over the top, and cover loosely with foil.
• Bake until the cheese melts and the casserole is hot through and through, about 20 minutes.
• If desired, serve with some crema drizzled over the top.

MEXICAN TURKEY NOODLE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush an 8 x 8-inch casserole dish with oil. Set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the raw noodle bundles, and saute turning with a pair of tongs until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the noodles and any pieces to a plate.
• Saute the onion in the same skillet, over medium heat, until light golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, ground coriander, oregano, chile powder, and bay leaf, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and the chipotles, increase the heat to high, and cook for 2 minutes, until thickened. Add the broth and noodles to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a gentle simmer, lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes, breaking up the noodles with a spoon. Stir in the turkey. Turn the mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese over and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
• In a small serving bowl, stir together the sour cream and fresh coriander. Serve the casserole with the flavored sour cream and the lime wedges on the side.

"DRY" MEXICAN NOODLE SOUP (SOPA SECA DE FIDEOS)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add noodles; fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add onion and garlic to the skillet. Cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato puree and bay leaves; cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
• Pour tomato mixture carefully into a blender; add water. Cover and hold lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Pour back into the skillet; add bouillon and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add the fried noodles. Cook until the noodles are tender and have absorbed most of the tomato sauce, about 15 minutes more.

SOPA SECA (MEXICAN NOODLE CASSEROLE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 °F.
• Oil an 8x8 glass baking dish and set aside.
• Heat remaining oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
• Add the pasta and stir until lightly browned (like browning the vermicelli in Rice a Roni); set vermicelli aside on paper towels to drain.
• Puree chipotles, garlic, tomatoes and onion in a food processor until smooth.
• Reheat skillet and cook tomato mixture, stirring until the liquid evaporates, 18 minutes or so.
• Add the chicken stock and vermicelli to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper (don't forget to taste and adjust if necessary for your own tastes!).
• Pour it all into the oiled baking dish, and bake, covered with aluminum foil, until pasta is tender and sauce absorbed, about 10 minutes or so.
• Serve sprinkled with cheese, drizzled with crema and garnished with cilantro.

SOPA SECA DE CALAMARES (SQUID AND TORTILLA CASSEROLE)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the ancho chili, tomatillos, tomatoes, epazote leaves and stock. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 10-by-14-inch glass casserole and place the tortilla strips loosely in it. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the tortilla strips, separating any that stick together. Brush the bottom of the hot casserole again with oil and arrange a layer of tortilla strips lengthwise across the bottom.
• Cover the strips with about 2 cups of the squid, dot with some of the crema and pour 2 cups of the tomato mixture over the top. Continue making layers, ending with a layer of tortilla strips, crema and the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the corn-bread crumbs and dot with the butter. Bake for 1 hour. Allow to set 30 minutes before slicing and serving.