Sopa paraguaya
Paraguay's 'soup' is a dense, savoury cornbread of onion, cheese, eggs and milk — the national side for every asado.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr 20 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Sopa paraguaya is a baked cornbread so moist it is called a soup. Onions are simmered soft in salted water, then beaten with butter or pork fat, eggs, fresh cheese, milk and fine cornmeal to a thick batter, poured into a tray and baked until golden on top and set but damp inside. It is savoury, oniony and rich, with no sugar and no leavening beyond the eggs. The right cheese is Paraguayan queso fresco, salty and a little sour; a mix of queso fresco and a melting cheese comes close. One bowl, one tray, an hour. It is eaten warm or at room temperature, cut into squares.
What you'll need
9 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Cornmeal, fine (harina de maíz), not polenta grind400 g
- Onion, sliced thin3 large
- Water, for simmering the onions250 ml
- Queso fresco, crumbled; Paraguayan queso fresco if you can find it300 g
- Melting cheese, mild melting cheese, grated100 g
- Milk500 ml
- Egg4 large
- Butter, softened, plus extra for the tin; or pork fat120 g
- Salt7.4 ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Simmer the sliced onions in the water with the salt, covered, for 15 minutes until completely soft and sweet. Do not drain; the liquid goes into the batter. Cool a little.
17 min
Step 2
Heat the oven to 200°C and butter a deep 25 x 35 cm tray generously.
3 min200°C
Step 3
Beat the butter until creamy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the onions with their liquid, both cheeses and the milk and mix well.
6 min
Step 4
Stir in the cornmeal until there are no dry pockets. The batter should pour thickly, like porridge. Let it stand 10 minutes so the cornmeal drinks.
12 min
Tip: If it looks like dough rather than batter, add milk. Sopa paraguaya should be moist, almost custardy, inside.
Step 5
Pour into the tray, level, and bake 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and a knife in the centre comes out damp but clean. Rest 15 minutes before cutting into squares.
50 min200°C
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 252 kcal
- Protein
- 9.2 g
- Carbs
- 14.3 g
- Fat
- 17.8 g
- Saturated fat
- 9.6 g
- Fibre
- 1.8 g
- Sugar
- 6.3 g
- Sodium
- 461 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Milk
- Eggs
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Fine cornmeal → Half cornmeal, half fresh corn kernels blended
This drifts toward chipa guasú, the fresh-corn version. Both are correct Paraguayan dishes.
Tips
- Salt carefully: queso fresco varies. Taste a pinch of the raw batter before it goes in the oven.
- Reheat squares in a hot pan or on the edge of the grill; they take on a good crust.
History & culture
The obligatory side at a Paraguayan asado, on the table for Independence Day on 14 May and at every church fund-raiser and family Sunday. Sold by the slab in bakeries and bus stations. Its lighter cousin chipa guasú uses fresh corn kernels instead of cornmeal. Paraguayans eat it alone with a glass of cold tereré as readily as beside grilled meat.
The repeated story has a cook for President Carlos Antonio López in the 1840s overdoing the cornmeal in a soup and baking the result rather than confess. More plausibly it comes from Guaraní corn preparations meeting the dairy and eggs of colonial and Jesuit-mission farms. Either way it has been a national marker since the nineteenth century.
Traditional — Pork fat is the traditional shortening and gives a deeper flavour; butter keeps it vegetarian, which is how it is written here.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Sopa paraguaya take?
1 hr 20 min all in — 20 min prep, 1 hr cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 10 squares. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Nut-free.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Baking tray, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Fine cornmeal → Half cornmeal, half fresh corn kernels blended. This drifts toward chipa guasú, the fresh-corn version. Both are correct Paraguayan dishes.
Any tips from this recipe?
Salt carefully: queso fresco varies. Taste a pinch of the raw batter before it goes in the oven. Reheat squares in a hot pan or on the edge of the grill; they take on a good crust.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Reheat squares in a hot pan or on the edge of the grill; they take on a good crust.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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