A simple, humble Mexican tomato rice soup made with toasted rice simmered slowly in a light homemade tomato broth. Soft, slightly thick, and comforting, this is classic comida de casa—the kind of warm sopa many Mexican families grew up eating.
Recipe Information
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 5–6
Ingredients
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 Roma tomatoes
¼ white onion
2 garlic cloves
5 cups chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, optional
½ teaspoon ground cumin, optional
Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Make the Tomato Broth
Place the Roma tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a blender.
Add about 1 cup of the chicken broth.
Blend until mostly smooth.
For a rustic homemade sopa like the one pictured, there’s no need to strain the tomato mixture.
2. Toast the Rice
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium heat.
Add the uncooked white rice.
Cook while stirring frequently for about 5–7 minutes, until the rice becomes lightly golden in scattered areas.
Don’t let it burn.
3. Fry the Tomato Mixture
Carefully pour the blended tomato mixture into the toasted rice.
Stir well.
Cook for approximately 5 minutes, allowing the tomato to deepen slightly in color and lose its raw flavor.
4. Add the Broth
Pour in the remaining chicken broth.
Add the chicken bouillon and cumin if using.
Season lightly with salt.
Bring the sopa to a gentle boil.
Reduce the heat to low and partially cover the pot.
5. Simmer Slowly
Cook for 18–22 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is very soft and the broth has become slightly thick and cloudy from the rice starch.
For the extra-soft, almost creamy homemade texture shown in the photo, simmer the sopa for another 5–10 minutes over very low heat.
Add a little hot broth or water if it becomes too thick.
6. Serve
Ladle the sopa de arroz into simple bowls and serve hot.
It’s delicious with:
Warm corn tortillas
Queso fresco
A squeeze of fresh lime
Salsa roja
Avocado slices
Abuela-Style Tip
Don’t rinse the rice excessively if you want that soft, slightly thick, comforting texture. A little rice starch helps give the broth its rustic body.
And if the sopa sits for a while, the rice will continue absorbing the broth. Just stir in a splash of hot chicken broth before reheating.