Instant Pot turkey tetrazzini with leftovers is cooked with tender noodles and vegetables all in one pot, you’ll love this easy tetrazzini recipe.
Looking for an easy leftover turkey recipe after Thanksgiving or Christmas? Try our Instant Pot turkey tetrazzini recipe. In under 10 minutes you can prepare a tasty meal for your family in just one pot with very little prep. That’s my kinda’ Instant Pot recipe y’all! (affiliate links present)
Instant Pot Tetrazzini Recipe
I hate to waste! That’s why each year I try to come up with a few new ideas I can then share with you! Our favorite has always been these leftoer turkey recipe, but this year it was time for a new one.
Let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- You can make this as a Ninja Foodi recipe too for sure.
- Then LIKE our IP Facebook page for new ideas daily.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook to grab too.
I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot. It is easier to clean and will avoid the burn message too.
Ingredients
- Diced leftover turkey – duhhhh, you probably have that and that’s why you’re here
- Uncooked egg noodles – these work best if you’re cooking everything at the same time. If you want to use the longer “traditional” style noodles you see in the first photo, it’s best to boil those separately
- Frozen peas – okay you can leave them out but I like to incorporate some sort of vegetable in every meal
- Mushrooms – I love quartered baby bella in Instant Pot casseroles because they stay somewhat firm
- Garlic salt and pepper
- Chicken broth for the liquid is better than water
- Heavy cream to make it rich and cream
- Cheese is optional but seriously it takes it over the top
- Fried onions (homemade or canned) sprinkled on top of each serving – OH MY yes you have to try this too
Variations
You could use this same recipe and swap in diced rotisserie chicken or canned tuna too. That way you can add it to your meal rotation year round! I guarantee you’ll love it enough to make it over and over again.
Can you use your Crockpot Express or Mealthy pot to make this too? Of course!! We’re equal opportunity pressure cooker lovers here, no judgement. 😉
This one is from scratch with more of a homemade cream of mushroom base. I think it turns out better, and at the end of the day you can adjust seasonings to your liking.
The dish is named after the Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini actually. It is believed to have been invented around 1908–1910 by Ernest Arbogast. He was the chef at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California, where Tetrazzini was a long time resident.
How to Make Tetrazzini in a Pressure Cooker
- First you’ll want to dice up your meat, bite size is always best. You can use white or dark meat or a combination of both. Like I said, precooked chicken breasts could be used as well.
- Add ingredients; the chicken or turkey into your pot, then add mushrooms that have been quartered.
- you don’t want them too small or they’ll become mushy
- Then add garlic salt, pepper, and other seasonings you like.
- Pour in your frozen peas and then pour in your uncooked noodles go on top.
- Pour in chicken broth to get them wet, but you’ll need to gently fold them in just so they’re pretty submerged.
- Set to high pressure for 3 minutes followed by a quick release.
- Now it’s time to thicken with heavy cream and cheese.
- Remember – the longer this sits the thicker this comfort food will become.
- Serve topped with parmesan cheese and/or fried onions to take it over the top.
Cooking time is just 3 minutes if using small egg noodles! Spaghetti noodles would need to be broken into 3 equal parts and not stirred in. I wouldn’t recommend these other than making my Instant Pot spaghetti though.
Can you freeze turkey tetrazzini?
Since this has pre cooked meat, you have more flexibility. You could essentially freeze this casserole uncooked (without the noodles), and save the cooking for later. You’d need to completely thaw it out before putting it into your pressure cooker though. Once it’s cooked you could freeze the leftovers, or store them in the fridge. Either way it is best to use airtight containers or freezer bags.
How to use leftover turkey
- You can make turkey pot pie soup
- Our turkey burger boats are fun!
- Other pasta dishes you could substitute precooked turkey in are Instant Pot tuna casserole and Instant Pot chicken noodle casserole
- Turkey enchiladas are great
Try our Instant Pot turkey soup served with a dollop of sour cream on top is fab.
Ready to make turkey tetrazzini in an Instant Pot now? I’ve provided a recipe to print below with the nutritional information included as well.
Seriously though, ignore that and just enjoy this with your family!
Time needed: 7 minutes
Instant Pot Turkey Tetrazzini
- Add ingredients
Put your leftover diced turkey, onions, frozen peas, quartered mushrooms and seasonings into your pot.
Pour your bag of egg noodles in and then pour your broth on top of them. Gently press noodles in so they’re mostly submerged into the liquid. Do not stir. - Cook
Close the lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 3 minutes. Do a quick release when done. Lift lid, gently stir contents, pour in half and half and cheese and gently stir all ingredients together again.
- Thicken
Put lid back on ajar just so cheese can melt and casserole can continue to thicken for about 4 minutes.
Lift lid, gently stir and serve or allow to sit for 5 more minutes to continue to thicken more before serving. The longer it sits the thicker it gets.
Instant Pot Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 1.5 c turkey, precooked, diced into bite size pieces
- 1 c frozen peas, optional
- 1 c mushrooms, quartered, baby bellas are firmer and work the best
- 3 c broth, chicken, beef or vegetable
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt, may add more later once done, to taste
- 1 c half and half
- 1.5 c cheese, optional but yummy, shredded cheddar and jack/mozzarella is go
- 12 oz egg noodles, extra wide egg noodles works best
- 1/2 onion, diced
Instructions
- Put your leftover diced turkey, onions, frozen peas, quartered mushrooms and seasonings into your pot.
- Pour your bag of egg noodles in and then pour your broth on top of them. Gently press noodles in so they're mostly submerged into the liquid.
- Close the lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 3 minutes. Do a quick release when done.
- Lift lid, gently stir contents, pour in half and half and cheese and gently stir all ingredients together again.
- Put lid back on ajar just so cheese can melt and casserole can continue to thicken for about 4 minutes.
- Lift lid, gently stir and serve or allow to sit for 5 more minutes to continue to thicken more before serving. The longer it sits the thicker it gets.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Really good not bad at all. I will make this again. The only addition after the cream of mushroom soup I filled the can with white cooking wine poured it on the mushrooms. Step #4 I used heavy cream.
Delicious and a perfect use for frozen leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I thawed the turkey and had more than the recipe called for but added more broth and it turned out great!
Oh good!
I had to improvise a bit. The recipe called for 6 cups of broth but I knew that this would make the dish dry and maybe not rehydrate the noodles fully. I doubled the broth and the dis turned out perfectly, not juicy or runny at all. Just a note if you use uncooked turkey or chicken just add 3 minutes to the cook time and you’re good.
Made this last night and it was delicious! I used an 8 quart pot and had to adjust by adding quite a bit more liquid and upped the time to 4 minutes but it turned out great. I used 4 cups chicken broth and added one can of Campbells cream of chicken and mushroom soup with a can of water (so total of about 5 1/2 cups of liquid as opposed to the 3 c in the recipe). I’m new to the IP so I was worried it would be a disaster but it was sooooo good. Didn’t have the crispy onions and forgot parmesan so will add those next time. Thank you!
Glad it was a hit
I used your recipe three nights ago but used canned turkey. Now I will be the first to say I have never been a fan of turkey tetrazzini but this was good! Everyone was happy. And as a new owner of an instant pot,I’m glad I was advised to look for recipes on Pinterest. Thank you. This will be definitely one we will be using again!
Glad it was a hit
The recipe doesn’t say when to add the half and half.
Check out Instruction #4
yes it does…in steps in recipe card at very bottom of post
@Daniel E Crabtree, Step #4
Just made this with our leftover Thanksgiving Turkey. It was definitely delicious!
yay
I just made this tonight with left over Turkey from a breast I made earlier this week. I followed the recipe as is, including the cheese and frenc h onions which are a must in my opinion. Both me and my wife loved it. A definite 5 star recipe.
YUM
Good recipe used 4 types of cheese… swiss. motz, parm, and half a block of cream cheese. put the peas on the side too hubby doesn’t like peas.
YUM
Trying to come up with my no-red-meat friend who doesn’t have a computer so no access to Pinterest. She loves angel hair pasta but will eat spaghetti noodles as well so how do you adjust the liquids if using spaghetti noodles? Thanks in advance for any help.
Looks good