Hilopites soup (Χυλοπίτες σούπα)

Hilopites soup (Χυλοπίτες σούπα)

A classic Greek soup made with little square egg noodles in a simple broth.

December is so busy!  The kids are gearing up for mid-year exams, and the Christmas holidays are certainly keeping us on our no-time-for-a-pedicure toes.  Between work parties, Christmas decorating, holiday shopping, and of course, baking melomakarona, kourabiethes and koulourakia, there is hardly enough time in the day.  Regular life does not end; work, school, feeding our families don’t take a break for Christmas. It may sound as though we are complaining…but we’re really not.  We are simply realists, and we accept that sometimes, something’s gotta give.  That’s when super simple recipes, like this hilopites soup, come in to save the day!

Hilopites soup (Χυλοπίτες σούπα)

Ready in about 15 minutes, these hilopites are a great, easy, and delicious way to satisfy hungry mouths.  It may not be the most well balanced meal, but it’s close   (don’t hang your head in shame…you will notice your un-pedicured feet, and be sad); close is sometimes as good as it gets.  Just put out a dish of carrot sticks or some olives, and call it a day (speaking of days…what day is it?).

Hilopites are a Greek egg pasta, shaped in small squares.  They are adorable, truly.  It’s been years, but we remember growing up, that our parents would make their own hilopites.  They would spend the day with aunts and uncles making these noodles.  After the dough was made and the hilopites cut into small squares (all done by hand of course), they would place bed sheets, designated for this purpose, on all the beds in the house.  They would then spread the hilopites on the sheets, and leave them there, for hours until they dried.  During that time, our home would smell of dough and goodness.  We are hoping that our parents agree to make a fresh batch of hilopites with us, so that we can learn how it’s done…and then you can learn too!

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Helpful hints

You can usually find hilopites in Greek or Mediterranean grocery stores, and even on-line.  However, if you happen to be visiting Greece, or know someone who is, you can always ask them to forget the souvenir keychain and bring back some hilopites instead.  Hilopites from Greece, especially when home-made, are a luxurious treat.

There are many ways to enjoy these lovely little egg noodles, and this simple soup, with the humblest of ingredients, is very popular in the Peloponnese.  Because of the simplicity of the recipe, using dry (aged) mizithra is really important.  Mizithra is a cheese made from goat or sheep’s milk, and whey. It can be hard to find however.  Therefore, as in other recipes, like our spaghetti with olive oil and mizithra, you can always substitute equal parts parmesan and romano for the mizithra…but it won’t be the same.  It may still be delicious, but it will be a different delicious.

Hilopites soup (Χυλοπίτες σούπα)

You will notice that there is very little salt added to this soup. This is because mizithra itself is quite salty.  If you are like us, and like to add mizithra by the heaping handful, any extra salt may be too much.  Use your discretion, and your taste buds, and adjust the salt quantity to your liking.

This soup will thicken slightly as it sits. If you will be enjoying it the next day, simply add a little more water as you are heating it up.

If you’re looking for more soup recipes, we think you’d love these:

Fide soup

Manestra soup

Hilopites with chicken

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Hilopites soup (Χυλοπίτες σούπα)

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Hilopites soup (Χυλοπίτες σούπα)

Hilopites soup

A classic Greek soup made with little square egg noodles in a simple broth.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Light meal, Soup
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 450kcal
Author: Mia Kouppa

Ingredients

  • 1 cup hilopites
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup grated mizithra, (or to taste) see notes

Instructions

  • In a medium sized pot, bring the water to a boil.
  • Add the hilopites and turn the heat down to medium.  Cook, stirring regularly, until the hilopites are cooked and are a soft consistency. This should take approximately 10 minutes.
  • Add the olive oil and salt to the pot. Mix well.
  • Serve, and divide the mizithra equally amongst all servings, by sprinkling it on top of the soup.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 463mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 1mg

Thanks for sharing!

10 Comments

  1. this is a simple but extremely delicious recipe that I would not have enjoyed had i not seen your blog – discovered 2 new ingredients : the pasta and the mizithra. Lovely pictures and the story is what made me go out and buy the ingredients. The most beautiful pic is the one where the mizithra is sprinkled onto the bowl of pasta. I made the 3/4 cup of pasta and in the end – finished it all in 2 bowls … too good. Will become one of my repeat recipes. Merry Christmas!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Oh that’s so wonderful Marina! Thank you so much for sharing and we are so happy you have discovered hilopites 🙂 Isn’t this just such a simple, delicious meal!? 🙂 Merry Christmas to you and all the best in 2018!

  2. Simple Abode says:

    This reminds me of my childhood and my yiayia. She would have hilopites or trachana soup ready for me when I came home from school when it started to get cold outside.

    1. miakouppa says:

      Thank you for your comment 🙂 We love when our recipe posts elicit happy memories for people. When we are fortunate, it’s amazing how we are all connected by food and love. xoxo . Yiayias are awesome 🙂

  3. Ioannis N Pseftis says:

    In the early 60’s in a small village In Acadia Greece, mom always fed us with her homemade hilopites and mizithra. I still remember how she would dry the hilopites on a white sheet under the sun. She would make enough to last us through the winter. Thank you so much for bringing back the memories. I don’t have mizithra at the moment, so parmesan will have to do…

    1. miakouppa says:

      Hi Ioannis, Thank you so very much for your comment. We are so happy that our post brought back happy memories. So many of us share similar experiences! Hope you get some mizithra soon 🙂 (although, parmesan is delicious!). xoxo Helen & Billie

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