Creole Noodle Soup (Sopa Criolla)
A warming Lima home-kitchen soup of thin noodles and tender beef in a broth turned creamy with evaporated milk, lifted with oregano and crowned with a crisp-edged fried egg.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Build the sofrito
Heat the oil in a large pot (at least 4-5 litres) over medium heat. Cook the onion 4-5 minutes until soft, add the garlic and and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then add the tomato and mash it in, cooking until it breaks down into a thick base.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp
- 1 tomato
✅ Done when: tomato has broken down into a thick, jam-like base
Brown the beef
Add the beef strips to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until browned on all sides. It does not need to be fully cooked yet.
- 400 g beef strips
- to taste salt and pepper
✅ Done when: beef is browned on all sides
Simmer the broth
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Cook the noodles
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Finish with milk and oregano
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Fry the eggs
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Serve
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Build the sofrito
Heat the oil in a large pot (at least 4-5 litres) over medium heat. Cook the onion 4-5 minutes until soft, add the garlic and and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant, then add the tomato and mash it in, cooking until it breaks down into a thick base.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp
- 1 tomato
✅ Done when: tomato has broken down into a thick, jam-like base
Brown the beef
Add the beef strips to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until browned on all sides. It does not need to be fully cooked yet.
- 400 g beef strips
- to taste salt and pepper
✅ Done when: beef is browned on all sides
Simmer the broth
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Cook the noodles
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Finish with milk and oregano
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Fry the eggs
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Sopa criolla belongs to Lima's comida criolla, the home cooking that grew out of Spanish, African, Andean and immigrant influences meeting in the capital's kitchens. Thin wheat noodles, brought by Italian immigrants, were folded into local beef broths and finished the Peruvian way, with evaporated milk for body and ají amarillo for color and depth.
It became a staple of family lunches and small neighborhood eateries, valued as a filling, inexpensive dish that could stretch a little meat into a full meal for everyone at the table.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's loved for its creamy, savory broth and the comforting ritual of breaking a fried egg into the bowl just before eating.
💡 Fun Fact
Topping noodle and rice dishes with a fried egg is a beloved Peruvian habit, seen across comida criolla classics, and it likely started as an easy way to add protein and richness to a simple home meal.
Lima, Peru
-12.05°S, -77.04°W
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