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Turn your leftover turkey soup into a creamy, cozy soup in minutes using this easy Instant Pot Turkey Noodle Soup Recipe.
After a big holiday meal, we need all the easy leftover Thanksgiving recipes we can get. And with tender egg noodles, soft veggies, and a creamy, savory broth that is finished with a kiss of lemon to make everything sing, this Turkey Noodle Soup delivers!
Kristen's Keys for Instant Pot Turkey Noodle Soup
Paying attention to these key things make the difference between a soup that is just okay to one that is extraordinarily good.
- Sauté the veggies. Browning onions, celery, and carrots develops the natural sweetness of the veggies.
- A splash of white wine adds depth and balance. Adding a dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio adds acidity and brightness to the soup, but isn't necessary. Replace it with additional chicken stock if desired.
- Add leftover turkey before pressure cooking. Because this recipe cooks only briefly, warming the turkey in the pot keeps it moist and helps flavor the broth.
- Use exact timing. In order for the egg noodles to be perfectly cooked and the leftover turkey to not dry out, cook for 1 minute at high pressure with a 10-minute natural release. Different pasta shapes or very wide noodles will change the outcome.
- You can skip the cream and peas, but not the lemon. Finishing the soup with cream and peas is a personal preference, however stirring in fresh lemon juice before serving makes the flavors come to life.
How to Make Turkey Noodle Soup in the Instant Pot
Whether you are are just learning how to use your Instant Pot or a seasoned user, this step-by-step section will help you achieve success.
Step One: Sauté Aromatics
Using the Sauté section, melt a bit of butter with olive oil. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and saute until the onion is translucent and the veggies start to soften. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds to briefly toast.
👉🏻Why butter and olive oil? Butter adds richness while the oil prevents the butter from burning while sautéing.
Step Two: Deglaze Inner Pot
Add dry white wine (or stock) and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen browned bits. Let it cook for the alcohol to cook off and deepen in flavor.
👉🏻Don't skip this step! Any time you sauté anything in the Instant Pot, you must add liquid and scrape up the bottom of the browned bits to ensure no burn notice occurs!
Step Three: Combine Ingredients
Add stock, seasonings, leftover turkey and egg noodles. Give everything a gentle stir so the noodles are submerged in the liquid.
Step Four: Pressure Cook
Seal the lid, ensure the vent knob is sealed, and set to cook on High Pressure for 1 minute. After the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release exactly for 10 minutes then do a quick release of any remaining pressure.
👉🏻How to do a natural pressure release? Carefully release the remaining pressure by knocking the venting knob from the sealed to the venting position. Be sure to stand back to prevent being burned by the steam.
Step Five: Finish and Enrich
Open the pot, remove the bay leaf, and stir in cream, peas, and fresh lemon juice. Give the soup a taste and add salt and pepper if needed to taste.
👉🏻Serving Suggestions: If you have any leftover rolls or cornbread that always pairs well with this soup!
Recipe Modifications
- Dairy-Free: Skip the cream and butter. Simply use olive oil in place of butter.
- Swap Protein: Use leftover rotisserie chicken, everything else stays the same.
- Use Leftover Herbs: If you have fresh holiday herbs, swap poultry seasoning for up to 2 teaspoons each of fresh thyme leaves and chopped fresh rosemary.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
Need more recipes to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers? Select one of the following leftover turkey recipes or browse all of my leftover Thanksgiving recipes for more delicious inspiration.
Instant Pot Turkey Noodle Soup
Video
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely minced
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 3 large carrots, peeled, and sliced
- ½ teaspoon Homemade Poultry Seasoning, or store-bought poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¼ cup dry white wine, optional
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock, or turkey stock
- 1 dried bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups leftover cooked turkey, diced or shredded
- 2 cups wide egg noodles
- 1 cup frozen peas, optional
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté and add in the ½ tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Once the butter has melted, add in the 1 small yellow onion (minced), 2 stalks celery (minced), 3 large carrots (sliced), and ½ teaspoon Homemade Poultry Seasoning. Sauté for 3-4 minutes stirring often, or until the onion begins to soften. Add in 2 teaspoons minced garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Pour in ¼ cup dry white wine (or stock) and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the inner pot, releasing any browned bits from the bottom of the inner pot. Let that simmer for a minute to allow the alcohol to reduce. Then hit cancel on the inner pot.
- Add 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock, 1 dried bay leaf, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 cups leftover cooked turkey, and 2 cups wide egg noodles. Stir to incorporate.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker, be sure the vent knob is pointed towards sealed or locked, and using the manual or pressure cook button set it to cook for 1 minute on high pressure.
- After the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for exactly 10 minutes. This will ensure the noodles are perfectly cooked. After 10 minutes, do a quick release of the remaining pressure by knocking the venting knob from the sealed to the venting position. Be sure to stand back to prevent being burned by the steam.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir in the 1 cup frozen peas, ½ cup heavy cream, and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Place the lid back on the pressure cooker and let it sit for just a minute or two to warm through and then serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You better believe that this is always on the menu after Thanksgiving!! My family loves it!! It's so comforting & so tasty!! It always hits the spot!!
This was so delicious and comforting. So easy to make too. Will be making this all season long!
This was the perfect thing to make with my leftover turkey! It was hearty and comforting.