Instant Pot Turkey Lentil Soup

Instant Pot Turkey Lentil Soup is a great way to use leftover turkey to make hearty and delicious soup packed with fiber and is a great source of protein. It is one of my favorite recipes and is the perfect way to warm up on chilly fall and winter weeknights.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love it
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🥄 Equipment
• 🥫Storage
• 📖 Variations
• 💭 Tips
• 📚 Related Recipes
• 🍽 Serve with...
• 🏫 The last word
• 📖 Recipe

❤️ Why you'll love it

• It is a healthy meal that is feel good comfort food perfect for soup season.
• It is a great way to use leftover turkey from holiday meals.
• This lentil soup recipe is ready in less time than traditional stove top cooking.

🥘 Ingredients

Lentils: I used brown lentils but you can use pretty much any type of lentil. Green or red lentils work also.

Leftover turkey meat: white or dark turkey meat works great (I prefer dark for flavor)

Olive oil: used to saute the onions and garlic.

Turkey stock: I used my own homemade broth recipe for Instant Pot Turkey Stock, but you can also use store-bought broth.

Large onion: for flavor, chop coarsely.

Diced tomatoes: I used a quart jar of drained canned tomatoes that I canned myself and chopped. A 15.5 ounce can of store-bought diced tomatoes can be used as well.

Garlic cloves: you can use a garlic press, but I prefer to dice the garlic for larger pieces.

Salt and black pepper: to season

Seasoning: I used Everything but the Leftovers Seasoning from Trader Joes, you can use a regular poultry seasoning or rubbed sage in its place if you don't have access to the everything seasoning.

🔪 Instructions

1. Heat the instant pot on saute setting until hot. Add the olive oil, onions, and garlic.
2. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until onions are translucent.
3. Stir in the turkey, lentils, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and seasoning.
4. Place the instant pot lid on the pot and lock in place. Be sure the vent is sealed.
5. Cook on high pressure setting for 15 minutes. Once the instant pot beeps, allow the soup to do a natural release for 15 minutes.
6. Turn valve to release any remaining pressure and remove lid to serve.

🥄 Equipment

Instant Pot pressure cooker

Flat head wooden spoon

🥫Storage

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days or freeze in freezer safe containers up to 3 months.

To reheat soup, place in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot or reheat in the microwave. If soup is frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

📖 Variations

• For a creamier soup, use half coconut milk for half of the broth.
• Vegetable broth or chicken broth can be substituted for the turkey stock.
• Sprinkle a few red pepper flakes into the soup for a little added heat.
• Fry fresh sage leaves in butter to make it crispy and serve as a garnish on top of the soup.

💭 Tips

• It is a good idea to rinse and sort through the lentils before using to be sure there are no hidden stones in the legumes.
• Use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of the leftover roasted turkey. Add ground meat to the instant pot before step 3. Cook and stir the meat until no longer pink. The proceed with step 3.

📚 Related Recipes

This Pumpkin Soup with Sage Browned Butter is another wonderful cold weather soup recipe.

Green Bean Soup makes use of garden fresh beans and potatoes in a milk based broth.

These Turkey Tostadas are a great way to use Thanksgiving leftover turkey.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers are light and delicious and make a good accompanyment to a cup of soup.

🍽 Serve with...

Serve with a sprinkling of fresh grated parmesan cheese, crispy fried sage, and warm crusty bread.

🏫 The last word

If you prefer to cook this soup on the stove top, you can do so by preparing it in a dutch oven up to step 3. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender but not mushy.

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📖 Recipe