Transform Leftover Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, and Gravy into the Ultimate Comfort Pizza
I absolutely love Thanksgiving and Christmas leftovers. But let’s be real—there are only so many turkey sandwiches one can eat before craving something different. That’s why I turned my leftovers into a show-stopping Holiday Dinner Pizza!
I mean you didn’t come here for anything else!
Why We Eat Turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas
American Thanksgiving dates back to the early celebrations of the holiday – seemingly to celebrate the Pilgrim’s Harvest Festival back in 1621 (per Wikipedia). Canada’s Thanksgiving seemingly has slightly different and older roots, dating back to 1579 after explorer Martin Frobisher’s fleet landed in Newfoundland while trying to find the Northwest Passage.
While there’s no concrete evidence that turkey was served at either nation’s first Thanksgiving festivals, it became the centerpiece of the feast by the 19th century, thanks to its size and practicality for feeding large groups. Wikipedia cites that the use of turkey in Canadian Thanksgiving was an imported American custom following the American Revolution
For Christmas, turkey gained popularity in England in the 16th century, replacing the traditional goose. King Henry VIII is said to have been one of the first to enjoy turkey during Christmas, and by the Victorian era, it became the star of the holiday table, especially after Charles Dickens popularized the tradition in A Christmas Carol.
In North America, turkey has become the bird of choice for both holidays. Its affordability, availability, and ability to feed a crowd cemented its place as a holiday staple.
And because of the delicious leftovers!!
And Thus Turkey Pizza of course!
So now it’s time to combine the holidays with pizza, right? Be it a Thanksgiving leftovers pizza or a Christmas leftovers pizza, you’re going to have a real winner.
How to Make: Leftover Turkey and Gravy Pizza
Ingredients
This recipe assumes leftover turkey, gravy, and cranberries from your last turkey dinner – be it Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just because you had a reason to make turkey dinner!
- Pizza dough: 350g (12.3 oz)
- store-bought or homemade herbs
- For pre-made, I suggest you go with Trader Joe’s Garlic and Herb dough which will save you needing to add the seasonings below.
- But instead of a pre-made dough, why not try our Easy Peasy Dough and add the seasoning yourself?
- store-bought or homemade herbs
- Seasoning:
- To give your crust a little bit of “stuffing-like” flavor, add garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and rosemary. You can adjust to taste, but I suggest:
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon of sage
- 1 teaspoon of rosemary (fresh, if you have it!)
- To give your crust a little bit of “stuffing-like” flavor, add garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and rosemary. You can adjust to taste, but I suggest:
- Cranberry sauce: 2.5 oz (70g) – about 3 tablespoons
- Gravy: 5 oz (140g) – about 1/2 cup
- Turkey: 5 oz (140g) – about 1 cup, diced (smaller pieces will make it easier to cook, cut, and eat)
- Mozzarella cheese: 4 oz (115g) – about 1 cup, shredded
Instructions for Making Holiday Dinner Pizza
This is a pretty easy pizza to make. The trickiest part will be braiding the crust around the cranberry sauce.
- Preheat the Oven
- Preheat your oven according to the pizza dough instructions (for a conventional oven, that’s probably 425°F but we used our outdoor pizza oven and cooked at 700°F).
- Make the dough into a stuffing!:
- If you are making your own dough, mix your pizza dough but add the garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and rosemary.
- If you are using a pre-made dough, you can sprinkle some on top before you stretch out the crust.
- These stuffing-inspired flavors add a subtle festive touch.
- Prep the crust:
- Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle, ensuring it’s evenly thick. Using a knife or pizza cutter, make 1-inch deep cuts along the edge, spacing them every 3 inches.
- One step I forgot in the pizza I showed here is to dock the dough. This would prevent the pizza from puffing up as much and therefore keeping the stuffed crust closed.
- Stuff the crust:
- Spread the cranberry sauce in a circle, about an inch inside the dough’s edge.
- Fold each cut section over the cranberry sauce, pressing it gently to secure the braided crust. Again, you’ll see in my pictures of the final pizza, because I didn’t dock the pizza dough and because I didn’t pinch it closed tightly enough, it began to unravel. Then again, it still looked and tasted delicious!
- Assembling your Holiday Dinner pizza:
- Spread the gravy evenly over the pizza’s center, avoiding the crust.
- Scatter the turkey pieces on top.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over everything, ensuring an even layer.
- Bake:
Place the pizza in the oven and bake according to the pizza crust instructions, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is golden brown. - Serve and enjoy:
- Remove your delicious holiday dinner pizza from the oven and let it cool slightly.
- Slice and serve your holiday-inspired pizza. Each bite is a nostalgic yet exciting twist on traditional flavors!
Tips and Alternatives for your Thanksgiving/Christmas Leftovers Pizza
- If you’re out of cranberry sauce, try a spoonful of leftover jelly or chutney for a sweet contrast.
- If you are low on turkey, you can try dollops of mashed potatoes.
- Replace or mix mozzarella with a sharper cheese like cheddar for a punchier flavor – but don’t overpower your turkey and gravy!
- Add a sprinkle of parsley or fresh thyme after baking for a fresh finish.
Holiday Dinner Pizza with Turkey and Gravy
Equipment
- 1 Outdoor pizza oven Optional
- 1 Pizza stone/Pizza steel/Pizza Pan Also optional for cooking your pizza in your indoor oven
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Pizza Cutter
Ingredients
Pizza Ingredients
- 12.5 ounces pizza dough store-bought, we recommend trying TraderJoe’s pre-made dough or homemade: try our EasyPeasy dough recipe
Stuffing Seasoning for the Dough
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp sage
- 1 tsp rosemary
Pizza Toppings
- 2.5 ounces cranberry sauce about 3 tablespoons.
- 5 ounces turkey gravy
- 5 ounces turkey diced
- 4 ounces Mozzarella cheese about 1 cup, shredded
Instructions
Preheat the Oven
- Preheat your oven according to the pizza dough instructions (for a conventional oven, that’s probably 425°F but we used our outdoor pizza oven and cooked at 700°F).
Make the dough into a stuffing!:
- If you are making your own dough, mix your pizza dough but add the garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and rosemary.
- If you are using a pre-made dough, you can sprinkle some on top before you stretch out the crust.
- These stuffing-inspired flavors add a subtle festive touch.
Prep the crust:
- Roll out the dough into a ~14-inch circle, ensuring it’s evenly thick. You will probably want to use a rolling pin to get uniform thickness.
- Using a knife or pizza cutter, make 1-inch deep cuts along the edge, spacing them every 3 inches.
- Dock the dough. This helps prevent the pizza from puffing up as much and therefore keeping the stuffed crust closed.
Stuff the crust:
- Spread the cranberry sauce in a circle, about an inch inside the dough’s edge.
- Fold each cut section over the cranberry sauce, pressing it gently to secure the braided crust.
Assemble the pizza:
- Spread the gravy evenly over the pizza’s center, avoiding the crust.
- Scatter the turkey pieces on top.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over everything, ensuring an even layer.
Bake:
- Place the pizza in the oven and bake according to the pizza crust instructions, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
Serve and enjoy:
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool slightly.
- Slice and serve your holiday-inspired pizza. Each bite is a nostalgic yet exciting twist on traditional flavors!
Nutrition
Todd’s cooking skills have revolved around the grill since about age 12, when he developed a love for grilling and took over for Mom at the BBQ. He worked at Wendy’s and at Earl’s Tin Palace (a restaurant chain in Canada) but never really did any sort of baking…until he and Heather started making pizza together! Now he’s often making dough in the mornings and pizza in the evenings.