Sopas
Sopas
The Rainy-Day Soup That Fixes Everything
About This Recipe
Every Filipino kid has the same memory: rain hammering the roof, power flickering, and mama standing at the stove stirring a big pot of sopas. This creamy macaroni soup is what gets pulled out whenever the weather turns bad, someone catches a cold, or you just need something warm and gentle in your stomach. It's not fancy cooking. It's care in a bowl.
Sopas started showing up in Filipino kitchens through American influence, but we made it entirely our own. The evaporated milk gives it that signature richness without using heavy cream. Some families add hot dogs (don't judge - it works), others keep it strictly chicken and vegetables. My nanay always said the secret was adding the milk last and never letting it boil. Forty years of making this soup, and she hasn't been wrong once.
Ingredients
- 2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked)
- 300g chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
- 1 can evaporated milk (370ml)
- 1/4 head cabbage, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 hot dog sausages, sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Sauté the Aromatics
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion until it softens and turns translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir for another 30 seconds until fragrant. If using hot dogs, toss them in now and cook until lightly browned on the edges.
- 2
Cook the Chicken
Add the chicken thighs to the pot and pour in the broth and water. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes. The chicken needs to be cooked through and tender enough to shred. Pull the chicken out with tongs and set it aside on a cutting board.
- 3
Shred and Return the Chicken
Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces using two forks. Discard the skin and bones. Drop the shredded chicken back into the pot. This step might seem fussy, but nobody wants to wrestle with a chicken bone in their soup bowl.
- 4
Cook the Pasta and Vegetables
Add the elbow macaroni, carrots, and celery to the simmering broth. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until the pasta is almost al dente. Add the cabbage during the last 3 minutes - it wilts fast, so don't put it in too early or it turns to mush.
- 5
Finish with Milk and Season
Lower the heat and pour in the evaporated milk. Stir gently and let it heat through for 2-3 minutes without boiling - boiling the milk makes it curdle. Season with fish sauce, salt, and pepper. The soup thickens as it sits, so keep extra broth handy if you're serving it later.
Tips & Variations
Don't Overcook the Pasta
Elbow macaroni keeps absorbing broth even after you turn the heat off. Cook it a notch under al dente so it doesn't go mushy when you reheat leftovers the next day.
Milk Goes in Last
Always add the evaporated milk at the very end on low heat. High heat causes the milk to separate and curdle, giving you a grainy texture instead of smooth and creamy.
Reheating Leftovers
Sopas thickens overnight because the pasta absorbs the liquid. Add a splash of broth or water when reheating. Some people even say day-two sopas tastes better - the flavors have had time to get to know each other.