Alphabet Soup Recipe
Remember your childhood’s packaged Alphabet Soup? This nostalgic dish is easy to make at home and utterly delicious! This homemade Alphabet Soup recipe, Sopa de Letrinha as we say in Portuguese, is a comforting classic that the whole familia will love! Plus, it’s ready in 30 minutes.
Other kid favorites: Hot Dog Pasta / Cachorro Quente – Brazilian Hot Dogs / Brazilian Stew Chicken Recipe
Why I love this soup recipe:
Oi Gente!!
There’s nothing more nostalgic than a good Alphabet Soup. I grew up eating the Maggi packaged Sopa de Letrinha, which was my mom’s strategy after a busy day. It was easy for her, and she knew my brothers and I would be happy to have it. I have the best memories of trying to spell things at dinner time and taking way to long to finish my meal because of it!
As an adult, though, that’s all alphabet soup has become: memories. With loads of salt, preservatives and questionable ingredients, I have begun avoiding pre-made, shelf-stable soups for the most part. I’m not demonizing them – I totally still eat those from time to time.
I never thought I’d ever make alphabet soup from scratch, let alone have it on the blog’s schedule. In fact, I didn’t even have the slightest clue you could buy alphabet pasta until I walked past it randomly at CVS and just had to buy it and make a homemade version.
Turns out, alphabet pasta is available everywhere, even online!
I have to say, I love this version just as much as my childhood’sāit really hits the spot! And it helps sneak in some real veggies into your kids’ (and your!) meal, too. It’s fun, easy to make and super comforting.
And the best part? This sopa de letrinha recipe is ready in 30 minutes!
Hope you like it as much as I do!
Beijinhos xx
Tools and Ingredients
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In addition to these tools, you’re going to need the following ingredients to make this Homemade Alphabet Soup:
- Alphabet pastaāI have found this at grocery stores, Latin markets, and even at CVS, which is where I first spotted it. Turns out, they also sell it online!
- Olive oilāor another neutral-tasting oil.
- Carrot, onion, and celeryāthis is mirepoix, which serves as the aromatic base of this soup recipe.
- 1 bunch of scallionsāyou’re going to use both white and green parts
- Chicken stockāI like to use unsalted or lightly salted chicken broth or stock so I can season and add more salt as I taste my recipe. Otherwise, things could get too salty. You can also use homemade stock like this Instant Pot Turkey Stock if you have it on hand!
- Brazilian sofrito or garlic
How to make variations on this recipe:
- Mexican Alphabet Soup is a simple twist! Just add a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree.
- Make it Vegan Alphabet Soup by swapping the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
How to make Alphabet Vegetable Soup
Add the carrots, the celery, the onion, the Brazilian sofrito, and the scallions to a food processor, and pulse to mince them real fine.
When they are finely minced, like the consistency of the mixture in the photo above on the right, set them aside.
Then, saute the veggies in some olive oil until very soft and almost mushyāabout 8-10 minutes. Stir it occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
After that, add in the alphabet pasta, and the chicken stock. (And remember, if you want to make this vegetarian or vegan, simply swap this for the same amount of vegetable stock.)
Then cook until the pasta is tender.
Since the alphabet noodles are so small, it will take very little time. Keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook and turn into a zero fun mush!
Serve immediately, and enjoy immensely.
How to Store and Freeze Homemade Alphabet Soup
To store leftovers, transfer your sopa de letrinha to a food storage container and let it cool completely. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To freeze leftovers, transfer the soup to a freezer-safe storage container, and let it cool completely. Be sure to leave about 1″ of distance between the soup and the top of the container so the soup can expand as it freezes, otherwise your container may break. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let it defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
How to reheat leftovers
Pour your leftovers into a microwave-safe bowl. Reheat in 30-second bursts in the microwave until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Alphabet Soup recipe is incredibly simple and satisfying. It calls for a package of alphabet pasta noodles, as well as celery, onion, carrots and garlic. The recipe uses chicken stock, but you can swap it for vegetable stock if you want to make it a Vegan Alphabet Soup.
I’ve read it was invented in the late 1800s!
Yes. As listed above, you can swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock. You could also use a different type of pasta noodle, though your final dish wouldn’t be Alphabet Soup then, even if it still tasted delicious.
Other soups you’ll love:
- Canja de Galinha Recipe – Brazilian Chicken and Rice Soup
- Bean and Pasta Soup (Sopa de Feijao com Macarrao)
- Creamy Black Bean Soup (Caldinho de Feijao)
- Hearts of Palm Soup (Sopa de Palmito)
- Caldo Verde Recipe – Portuguese Green Soup
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Sopa de Letrinha – Homemade Alphabet Soup
Ingredients
- 7 ounce package of alphabet pasta
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks about a cup
- 1/2 small onion, cut into chunks about a 1/2 cup
- 1 bunch of scallions (both white and green parts, cut into chunks) about 2 cups
- 1 celery stalk, cut into chunks about a 1/2 cup
- 2 teaspoons of Brazilian sofrito or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 7 cups chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the carrots, the celery, the onion, the Brazilian sofrito, and the scallions to a food processor, and pulse to mince. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium to high heat, then add the minced vegetable mixture.
- Saute until soft, approximately 8-10 minutes.
- Add in the pasta and cover with the chicken stock.
- Bring to a simmer, and simmer until the noodles are cooked. This will take less than 10 minutes because the pasta is so small, so keep an eye on it!
Bom Apetite!!
Notes
How to make variations on this recipe:
- Mexican Alphabet Soup is a simple twist! Just add a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree.
- Make it Vegan Alphabet Soup by swapping the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
My kids are learning to read right now so they’re obsessed with this soup. They both love tomatoes so we do Mexican style sopa de letrinha. I love how easy it is to make something they love.
I loved making this for my toddler for lunch – he finished the whole bowl and then some. I can’t wait to try the Mexican alphabet soup next.. que rico!
I had to make this out of pure nostalgia!! This is such a fun recipe and my husband thought it was really cute too. Def tastes better than the canned version I used to have- haha!
This takes me back, but then it was out of a can and nowhere near as good as this recipe! Delicious and fun, what more could you want?
This recipe is so delicious! It’s also super nostalgic for meāI grew up eating alphabet soup, and I never imagined that I could make my own version of it at home. Thanks for sharing this!
I have never (never!) commented on a recipe. I love simplistic recipes. I have grandchildren (whom I have not made this for yet, but will!). Making this tonight was purely out of curiosity and searching to use ingredients I had on hand for a lighter meal. The only thing I did different was to mince the vegs with a knife, as you know, has to be made with love! Thanks for the trip back to making such a comforting soup!
This makes me so so so soooooo happy!!! Thank you, Krista!! I glad you enjoyed it š