Sopa paraguaya
Contains egg (no meat or fish)
Despite the name, a firm, moist cornbread rich with cheese, onions cooked in fat, eggs and milk. Paraguay's national dish, served with grilled meat or on its own.
Sopa paraguaya is a Paraguayan bread, ready in about 1 hour 30 minutes and made with cornmeal and queso fresco. It serves 10 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 30 min
- Serves
- 10
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 318
Method
Step 1
Cook the onions (opens in a new tab) slowly in the butter (opens in a new tab) with the salt until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly.
- 10 min
- medium-low heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels Step 2
Warm the milk (opens in a new tab) and stir in the cornmeal (opens in a new tab); leave 10 minutes to hydrate.
- 10 min
- low heat
Step 3
Beat the eggs (opens in a new tab), then mix them with the onions (opens in a new tab), cornmeal (opens in a new tab) mixture, cheese and baking powder (opens in a new tab) (if using) to a thick batter.
- 5 min
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 4
Pour into a greased 22 × 30 cm baking dish (opens in a new tab) and bake at 190 °C for 40–45 minutes until golden and set in the centre. Rest 15 minutes, then cut into squares.
About this dish
- Origin
- Paraguay · Well documentedPopular stories about how a 'soup' became solid are folklore.Also popular in ArgentinaMore food from Paraguay
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Breads & flatbreads · Side dishes
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked, Sautéed
- Taste
- savoury, rich, sweet
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredientsWithout the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Make-ahead · Portable / lunchbox · Festive & celebration
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, queso fresco
- Contains: Eggsfrom egg
- May contain: Wheatfrom baking powder
- May contain: Glutenfrom baking powder
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
318 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 152 g · recipe makes 10
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 15%
- Carbohydrate 35%
- Fat 50%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 318 kcal | 209 kcal |
| Protein | 12 g | 7.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 28.1 g | 18.5 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 25.6 g | 16.8 g |
| Sugars | 4 g | 2.6 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.6 g | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 18 g | 11.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 9.5 g | 6.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 116 mg | 77 mg |
| Sodium | 626 mg | 412 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1.6 g | 1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 241 mg
- Calcium
- 237 mg
- Iron
- 1.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 54 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 176 µg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.7 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.9 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 25 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: baking powder.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Serve with
- With asado, as part of a Paraguayan Sunday lunch, or alongside a bowl of vori vori.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days refrigerated; also freezes well.
Reheating
- Warm at 180 °C for 10 minutes, or eat at room temperature.
Variations
- Chipa guasu (Paraguay): Made with fresh grated corn instead of cornmeal, softer and more custardy.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 25 min
Mix only until no dry flour remains — overmixing makes it tough and tunnelled.
Rest · about 15 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 45 min at 190 °C
Risen and golden; a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs; the top springs back.
- Start to finish: about 1 h 25 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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