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Got holiday leftovers? This Leftover Turkey Pizza is a new favorite in our house. Using the flavors of a holiday turkey table, we combine shredded turkey with cranberry sauce and melted brie cheese for an incredible Turkey Pizza recipe.
Transform your leftover Thanksgiving turkey into the most ridiculously delicious pizza with this simple (yet oh-so-flavorful) recipe. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal or to use up your holiday leftovers. Instead of a tomato sauce base we use a garlic oil and cranberry sauce as the base flavor.
This is like the classic melted brie with jam meets the best of Thanksgiving and decides to make a pizza out of their relationship!
Table of Contents
Ingredients + Substitutions for Turkey Pizza
The exact ingredient portions are in the recipe card.
- Homemade Pizza Dough – We use our Neapolitan Pizza Dough, but you can also use your favorite store-bought dough recipe. Or elevate the flavor with our sourdough pizza dough or our gluten-free pizza dough.
- Garlic Oil – Infuse extra virgin olive oil with two cloves of minced garlic as a base flavor for the pizza.
- Cranberry Sauce – Instead of using a traditional pizza sauce, we use our red wine cranberry sauce. You can use whatever cranberry sauce you have leftover from the holiday.
- Cheese – We like to combine cheeses. We use fresh mozzarella, shredded up, and brie cheese. You can use slices from a brie wheel, or buy a brie log and cut up smaller circles. We also add freshly grated Parmesan cheese after the pizza is done for a nice salty finish.
- Shredded Turkey – We use our leftover smoked turkey as the base, then shred it up (a combo of turkey breast or dark meat).
- Herbs – We use fresh thyme. You can use sage or other fresh herbs you have on hand.
- Finishing Flavor – We like to add some finishing flavor when the pizza comes out. For us that’s hot honey and finishing salt like Maldon.
The nice thing about pizza is that it’s easy to modify with your favorite toppings to your taste. Another modification is to add thinly sliced red onions or caramelized onions.
Preparation
Make the garlic oil first and be sure your pizza dough is at room temperature so it’s easier to form into a pizza round.
Finely shred the turkey. If the pieces are too thick, they fall off in one bite on the pizza. So be sure it’s shredded.
Pre-shred the mozzarella cheese into similar-sized portions and do the same with the brie cheese. This allows even melting.
Tools
If you are into pizza then read our article on essential pizza tools. Here are a few key pizza tools to have for this leftover turkey pizza.
- IR Thermometer – To measure the temp of the pizza stone.
- Pizza Peel – It’s easiest to launch pizzas using a good perforated pizza peel.
- Pizza Turning Peel – If using a pizza oven, a good turning pizza peel is a must-own accessory.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Pizza
We made this pizza on our Alfa Forni pizza oven.
- Prepare your pizza oven to the target temperature. For us, that’s setting the oven temp to 900 degrees Fahrenheit with the pizza stone reading 700 degrees Fahrenheit using a good IR thermometer.
- Lightly dust a cutting board with flour and form dough into a 12-inch round. Coat with the garlic oil using a pastry brush. Then add 2-3 dollops of the cranberry sauce. Use the back of a spoon to gently smooth it out. Add the brie and mozzarella, and then add shredded turkey. Top with the fresh thyme.
- Launch the pizza into the pizza oven. Using a turning peel, rotate the pizza every 20 seconds until the pizza is cooked through. This can take up to 2 minutes.
- Remove pizza and sprinkle with Parmesan, hot honey, and finishing salt. Cut into slices and serve.
Home Oven Modification – If using your home oven we recommend making this on a pizza stone. Preheat your oven to 550 degrees Fahrenheit with the pizza stone on the center rack. Launch the pizza onto the stone with a pizza peel. Bake for 6 minutes and then rotate 180 degrees. Bake an additional 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust has turned golden.
Expert Tip
If using a pizza oven, the most important tip is to make sure that the pizza stone is hot enough. For a Neapolitan-style pizza that’s 700 – 750 degrees F, for a NY-style pizza crust, the stone should be 500 – 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, the rind is edible, and so we recommend leaving the rind on the brie cheese.
Turkey is a great topping for pizza if paired with the right ingredients. The milder flavor lends to white sauces or garlic oil. Or you can pair it with BBQ sauce as a base.
Other Leftover Turkey Ideas
Poultry Recipes
Smoked Buffalo Turkey Dip
Poultry Recipes
My Mama’s Green Chile Turkey
Food Recipes
Smoked Turkey Chili with Serrano Peppers
Tried this recipe? Give us a star rating and we would love to see! Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge on all the social media handles. And consider subscribing to our newsletter where we drop all our favorite ideas and inspirations every week.
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Leftover Turkey Pizza
Equipment
- 1 pizza oven
- 1 Turning Pizza Peel
Ingredients
- 1 whole pizza dough
- 2-3 tablespoons garlic oil, (See notes for making it)
- 1/4 cup cranberry sauce
- ⅓ cup fresh mozzarella
- 3 ounces brie cheese, (We use a brie log and cut into small thin circles)
- 1/2 cup shredded turkey
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Optional Toppings:
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon hot honey, to finish
- ¼ teaspoon finishing salt, to finish
Instructions
- Preparation: Prepare your pizza oven to the target temperature. For us that’s setting an outdoor pizza oven to 900 degrees Fahrenheit and the pizza stone reading 700 degrees Fahrenheit using a good IR thermometer.
- Make Pizza: Lightly dust a cutting board with flour and form dough into a 12-inch round. Coat with the garlic oil using a pastry brush. Then add dollops of the cranberry sauce. Use the back of a spoon to gently smooth it out. Add the brie rounds, then mozzarella, and then add shredded turkey. Top with the fresh thyme.
- Cook: Launch the pizza into the pizza oven. Using a turning peel, rotate the pizza every 20 seconds until the pizza is cooked through. This can take up to 2 minutes.
- Finish: Remove pizza and sprinkle with optional toppings – Parmesan, hot honey, and finishing salt. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a great leftover turkey idea and easy to modify. Or if you are into more BBQ flavors consider swapping the cranberry sauce for a KC Style BBQ sauce base.