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    Home / Paraguayan Kitchen / Sopa Paraguaya

    Sopa Paraguaya

    Paraguay’s national dish — a dense, golden cornbread cake loaded with onion and cheese, baked until the top is bronzed and the middle is impossibly moist.

    ⏱ 20 minPrep time
    🔥 45 minCook time
    🍽 8Servings
    🏷 Paraguayan KitchenCategory
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    Despite its name, sopa paraguaya is not a soup: it’s a rich cornmeal cake that has anchored Paraguayan tables since the time of the Jesuit missions, born from the country’s deep love of corn and queso paraguayo. It’s the dish served at every asado, family gathering, and holiday — the first thing a Paraguayan grandmother teaches you to make.

    The ‘soup’ that is actually a golden corn cake

    Moist, dense, and deeply savory, sopa paraguaya gets its signature texture from cornmeal soaked in milk and eggs, then enriched with ribbons of sautéed onion and cubes of milky cheese. The crust turns golden and slightly crisp while the center stays almost custardy — it’s best eaten warm, torn straight from the pan.

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    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and generously butter a 9-inch round baking pan.
    2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden; set aside.
    3. In a large bowl, stir the cornmeal, salt, warm milk, beaten eggs, and remaining lard into a thick batter and let it rest for 10 minutes so the cornmeal softens.
    4. Fold in the cooked onion and the cubed cheese until just combined.
    5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until deep golden brown on top and set in the center with just a few moist crumbs clinging to a tester.
    6. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve warm.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    Soaking the cornmeal in warm milk before baking gives the classic moist, non-gritty crumb. Sopa paraguaya keeps 3 days refrigerated and reheats beautifully in a 350°F oven, wrapped in foil, for 10 minutes.

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    Recipe details

    Prep20 min
    Cook45 min
    Servings8
    CategoryParaguayan Kitchen
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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