Sopa de Res
Also: Beef soup, Caldo de res
A Honduran soup of beef on the bone slow-simmered into a clear savoury broth packed with yuca, corn, chayote, and plantain.
Identity criteria
- 1Built on bone-in beef (shank, ribs, or marrow bones) for a rich clear broth
- 2Loaded with large chunks of Central American vegetables: yuca, corn on the cob, chayote, plantain, and often cabbage and carrot
- 3A clear, savoury broth rather than a thick stew
- 4Aromatic with cilantro, mint, onion, and garlic
- 5Served as a generous one-bowl main, the vegetables eaten alongside the meat
Components
Yuca, corn, chayote, plantainessentialThe defining vegetable medley, cut in large pieces
Bone-in beef (shank, ribs, marrow)essentialBones give the broth body and the cut gives big tender pieces
Onion, garlic, sweet pepper, tomatoessentialBuilds the broth base
Beef brothessentialClear, savoury stock from the bones
Cilantro, mint, saltessentialFresh herbs finish the broth
Technique
- Slow simmering bone-in beef
- Extracts a clear, deeply savoury broth and tenderizes tough cuts
- Staggered vegetable addition
- Hard roots and corn go in before softer chayote and plantain so each holds its shape
Form & serving
- Served
- In a large bowl with beef pieces and big vegetable chunks in clear broth
- Temperature
- hot
- Portion
- main course bowl / generous portion
- Pairs with
- white rice · corn tortillas · lime · fresh chilli
Character
Flavour
Texture
clear savoury broth with tender beef and large soft vegetable chunks
Eaten
A beloved weekend and family main, served generously with rice, tortillas, and lime.
When
year-round
Variations & related
Regional variations
- Caldo de res · Mexico / wider Central America
Closely related beef-and-vegetable soup across the region
- With marrow bones · Honduras
Marrow bones add richness and are a prized part to eat
Related dishes
- sibling Sopa de Pata
The offal-based Salvadoran cousin
- sibling Sopa de Albóndigas
The meatball version of the same vegetable broth
Substitutions
Yuca → Potatoadmissible
Acceptable starch swap when yuca is unavailable
Bone-in beef → Boneless lean beefinadmissible
Weakens the dish — without bones the broth lacks the body that defines sopa de res
Common mistakes
- Using boneless beef so the broth lacks body
- Cutting vegetables too small so they disintegrate
- Adding all vegetables together so some overcook
- Letting the broth go cloudy by boiling hard instead of simmering
Provenance
A Honduran weekend staple within the pan-regional caldo/sopa de res tradition shared across Mexico and Central America.
References
- 1.Honduran home cookery
- 2.Central American culinary tradition
Confidence: high