Easy Instant Pot Ham and Macaroni Soup
Loaded with cubed ham, pasta, and vegetables this Instant Pot Ham and Macaroni Soup is the perfect comfort food for winter. This Asian-style soup is so easy to make in the pressure cooker. Creamy and tasty soup done in no time!
We had some ham as part of our Christmas menu. It was an 8-pound ham which may not be much but it’s a lot for a family of 4! I actually chose a good-size ham for a good reason. I wanted to make this soup and I needed some extra ham to go with it.
Thankfully, we had a good amount of left-over ham so my craving for this Filipino-style macaroni soup was easily satisfied.
I don’t know about you, but after all that holiday binging and eating food loaded with so much sugar and carbs and everything else, all I wanted was a simple and delicious soup. Nothing complicated. I was just craving a hot bowl of comfort food!
Traditionally, macaroni soup or sopas as it is known in my dialect is often made with chicken as the main protein. That’s how my mom made it all the time. Filipino weather may be sunny and warm for most of the year but that has never stopped us from enjoying a good old-fashioned bowl of chicken noodle soup.
It is particularly delicious when there’s a sudden outburst of rain that gives us relief from the heat. Suddenly, it’s soup season even if that cooler weather lasts only for a day or two!
Perhaps I was missing my mom’s cooking this holiday season and especially her yummy macaroni soup that I decided to use ham to make this traditional sopas even though I didn’t have any chicken to use up. Thankfully, it all worked out so well!
The best experiment was making it all using the instant pot! I was craving this soup so much and I didn’t want to wait long to cook the noodles.
And I must say, what a huge convenience it was to make this tasty soup in the pressure cooker! It only took 5 minutes on high pressure to make perfectly al dente macaroni (not hard or mushy but just right!). Best of all, I only had to use one pot – no extra casserole or dutch ovens to use up to saute the veggies! This is simply amazing!
I hope you try this easy soup in your instant pot soon! You’d be surprised how crazy simple this is to make and let me tell you, it comes out so creamy and delicious! What’s the secret in my Mom’s soup – using evaporated milk instead of regular milk. Makes the soup creamy and so tasty! Also, a little bit of fish sauce (classic Asian condiment that we cannot live without!) goes a long way and gives this soup that extra umami flavor so use it if you have it or if you can find it. Otherwise, a little soy sauce should do the trick too!
My hubby totally loved this and when we had some left-over, he helped himself to another bowl the next day! Now, that’s what I call successful!
Instant Pot Ham and Macaroni Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cooking oil of choice
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 cups cooked ham, cubed
- 2 medium-size carrots, sliced diagonally (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni pasta
- 32 oz low-sodium Chicken broth
- 1 (12) oz can of evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- extra scallions or green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Using the saute setting in your instant pot, heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook until aromatic and the onions become translucent roughly about 3-4 minutes. Add the cubed ham and saute for another minute or 2.
- Add the celery and carrots, uncooked macaroni, and chicken broth. Cover and ensure that the pressure release valve is in a sealing position. Press MANUAL (High Pressure) and set to 5 minutes. When the time’s up, shift from sealing to venting and allow quick release. Immediately uncover once the pressure has been released and all the steam has escaped.
- Pour the evaporated milk and fish sauce and shift back to saute setting and cook just until the milk is fully heated through (about 1 minute or so). Don't let it cook too long or the macaroni may become too mushy. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired. Ladle into bowls and top with green onions. Serve immediately.
Love all your recipes over the years. I don’t have an Instapot and don’t plan on purchasing one. Can this soup be made in a crockpot or made on the stovetop?
Yes, you can do this on the stovetop. I haven’t tried this in the crockpot but I cannot see why not.
A nice quick and easy recipe for the left over ham from the holidays! I used beef broth because it’s all I had and also added some yellow potatoes because I didn’t have carrots.
it looks so delicious.
i think this recipe can cook when we go to camping, cause didn’t need too many instruction.
Btw, thanks for sharing this recipe. 🙂
Can you use regular milk or almond milk instead?
Yes, you may. It would taste slightly different but should still work. Enjoy.
Thanks for this! I had a Philippino roommate and she made this soup- so good!!!
Searching for a pasta and ham soup, and saw your recipe, in an electric Instant pot! A bit different, I added two slices of ginger, was very tasty. I share your enthusiasm for the IP cooking ease, saute, steam, and cook, all in one, and fast! Thank you for this!
So glad you found us and liked this. Thanks for stopping by.
Can I freeze this soup before adding the milk , I have so much ham to use up
Certainly! Just add the pasta and milk later when you wish to serve it.
This recipe was amazingly good!! I never leave comments on food blogs, but it felt necessary! I added potatoes and skipped the salt and pepper because the ham from Christmas leftovers was a little salty already. Also added a cup of water! It could be “soupier,” but easy fix! Just added milk to individual bowls when someone wanted more liquid. The milk also helps to cool it down! It made enough for 5 people, and 3 of those are teenagers. My boys each ate 2 bowls full!
So glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for letting us know!