Tacos de Fideo~ Broken Spaghetti Tacos with Queso Fresco

As if you did not already enjoy a big bowl of fideo on it’s own! Try serving it up in a soft or crispy tortilla shell garnished with crema and  queso fresco. It’s quite a treat. To me it really wasn’t a matter of looking for a meatless meal, I just really enjoy them like this. This is a popular taco in Mexico and kid friendly as well. Well, as long as the salsa is not too spicy. I was inspired by a post I came across today. It was a list of 24 foods that you can enjoy in Monterrey, Mexico. When I saw the tacos de fideo, it took me right back to being a kid. Corn tortillas are a must when it comes to fideo. Even if you don’t make a taco, it tasty just to  add a little lemon and salt to the inside, roll it up and dip it into the fideo.  This was how I learned to eat chile peppers, ha, ha, ha! Take a bite of tortilla, spoonfull of fideo, then a bite of the chile serrano or jalapeño. I still do that to this day. For today’s blog post, I scrambled looking through my pantry for some fideo pasta, but was out. And it’s just not the same to use a big shaped pasta. I had some bucatini pasta which is much like spaghetti, but thicker. Fideo tacos were in the works. I also had excess tomato salsa prepared, so why not use that instead of tomato sauce? It’s seasoned and flavored, ready to go! During my trip to the Mexican market, I found some blue corn tortillas and thought the color contrast would be fun! It really is about having fun and getting creative. But most importantly feeding your family with food you can feel good about.   

Tacos de Fideo

Loved this as a kid and still love tacos de fideo. A rich tomato based mexican-style pasta all wrapped up in a warm corn tortilla with crumbled cheese!

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Course: Side Dish, Tacos

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups broken spaghetti or fideo
• 1 small white onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 jalapeño quartered
• 1 1/2 cups tomato based salsa
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon tomato/chicken bouillon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/3 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano

You will also need

• Tortillas
• More oil
• queso fresco crumbled
• Mexican crema
• diced onions optional
• chopped cilantro
• Your favorite hot sauce

Instructions

Directions

• In a deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oliv eoil to medium heat. Add the broken pasta or fideo. Cook to toast, turning as needed for about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from pan onto a plate.
• In that same pan, add a little more oil. At medium heat, add the onions, garlic and jalapeño. Season lightly with a little salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes.
• Add the salsa, broth, bouillon, cumin, smoked paprika, pepper and oregano. Bring to a boil, taste for salt and continue cooking for 5 minutes. While it’s simmering, add the toasted pasta back in to the tomato/chicken broth. Stir well to combine. Cover. When it comes to a boil, reduce to low and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes or until the pasta absorbs the broth.
• Fluff the pasta with a fork. To make tacos, fill soft or crunchy shells with fideo.Garnish with crema, queso fresco, onions, cilantro and hot sauce. Tasty!! The fideo dish yields 6 to 8 servings .

Notes

For a more traditional fideo, instead of salsa, you can blend 5 roma tomatoes that were previously blanched and peeled.

Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

Texas Tomato Jalapeño Salsa~ This is the salsa I used in the recipe when I cooked the sopa de fideo. Click Salsa Now

 

 

Tips~ I was out of fideo pasta, so I used a bucatini pasta, which is like a thicker round spaghetti. It holds up well while it cooks. Does not get mushy. The longer the fideo/spaghetti sits, the more it will absorb the broth.

 

Of course I had to test it before I made any tacos.

 

Tips~ You can use your favorite kind of tortilla. I found some blue corn tortillas at the Mexican market. Soft or crispy taco shells, both tasty!

Tips~ Adding the dicde onions and cilantro is optional, but it does add a nice fresh flavor.

The jalapeños are from the fideo. They are my favorite to enjoy on the side. For crispy tacos, I simply brush the tortillas with olive oil. Place them onto a preheated griddle/comal. When they are soft enough, fold into a taco shape. Continue cooking, turning as needed until mostly crispy on both sides.

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