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I’ll be honest, I have no idea what to call this recipe. Spicy Fideo came to life when I was needing easy and quick one pan dinners while also craving two very specific dishes. I wanted Fideo Seco, which is an amazing Mexican dish that just reminds me of home, and I was also craving rigatoni alla vodka. So I decided to join the two, and voilà, we have Spicy Fideo!
Why You’ll Love Spicy Fideo
The fideo noodles toasted in olive oil set the perfect nutty foundation. The sauce combines the comfort of a creamy tomato sauce with the indulgence of a creamy sauce, and then you add the perfectly balanced flavors. I used tequila instead of vodka and honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever go back. This is so quick and easy to make that it’s perfect for a weekday dinner.
How To Prepare Spicy Fideo
🎛️ Preheat your pan. Add the olive oil and sauté your shallot and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes on medium low heat.
🌶️ Add fideo to the pan, making sure that your pan isn’t too hot so you don’t burn it. Toast for about 3 minutes on medium low. Crush up your chiles a little and then add dry chiles and tomato paste. Cook on medium for 3 minutes.
🍶 Deglaze with the tequila (or vodka if that is your preference) and let it absorb almost fully. Start adding in the broth one cup at a time until it is absorbed and creamy. It’ll be about 9-11 minutes max.
🧂 Add in maggi and cheese. Let it fully incorporate. Add salt and pepper as needed at this point.
🧈Turn off heat and add the butter. Emulsify. Serve it with the crème fraîche, lots of salsa macha and chives and you have a new quick and easy one pan recipe to add to your dinners!
Substitutions and Variations
- If you would like to use the vodka instead of tequila you can do that or you can omit it completely.
- You can use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for a vegetarian version.
- If you don’t have dry chilis de arbol, you can swap it out for cayenne or chili flakes for similar heat. You can completely take it out if you don’t want heat.
🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
For this recipe that is a mix between Fideo Seco and Rigatoni Alla Vodka, make sure your pan is preheated but not too hot when you add the fideo in so that it doesn’t burn.
Recipes that Pair
Sides
Arugula Fennel Salad
Drinks
Michelada Slushie
Butters
Chef Nadia’s Salsa Macha 💃
Appetizers
Tomato Brown Butter Bread
Common Questions
Yes you certainly can. you can break angel hair pasta up or even use orzo. Just make sure that the pasta is thin enough to absorb the broth.
You can! Just use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Use a vegan butter and a vegan cheese and you are be good!
You can go ahead and just skip this part if you do not want to use alcohol in it. It will still be delicious.
I like the Vermont Creamery Creme Fraiche.
Spicy Fideo
Equipment
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 1 large shallot, brunoise
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup fideo noodles, torn vermicelli
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 dry chiles de arbor
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 4-4.5 chicken broth, hot
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 oz tequila
- 3 squirts maggi, or 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp queso fresco or cotija
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Creme fraiche, for topping
- Salsa macha or chili crisp, for topping
- Chives, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your pan. Add the olive oil and sauté shallot and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes on medium low heat.
- Add fideo to the pan and toast for about 3 minutes on medium low.
- Add dry chiles and tomato paste. Cook on medium for 3 minutes.
- Deglaze with the tequila and let it absorb almost fully.
- Start adding in the broth one cup at a time until it is absorbed and creamy. It’ll be about 9-11 minutes, max.
- Add in maggi and cheese. Let it fully incorporate.
- Add salt and pepper as needed at this point.
- Turn off heat and add the butter. Emulsify.
- Serve it with the cream, lots of salsa macha, chives and that is it!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so good!