Thanksgiving Leftovers Pizza Recipe

You can throw whatever you have left over onto a slab of pizza dough. Here, roasted onions, thyme, squash, and feta from Thanksgiving dinner. Photo: StockFood / Eising Studio

Thanksgiving Turkey Pizza
Makes one 12” pizza

This makes the best of all the little leftovers from the big feast: the bits from your meat and cheese board (brie works well), the turkey, the cranberry sauce and even the leftover greens from your salad. It’s great for post-Thanksgiving brunch. The only item you need is some store-bought pizza dough, inexpensive and available at most grocery stores. 

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pinch nutmeg
Kosher salt
1 lb. pizza dough
2 Tbsp. cornmeal
Fresh-cracked pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 leftover turkey thigh, meat pulled or shredded, skin sliced thin
1/4 cup cured ham such or prosciutto, shaved thin
1/2 cup leftover cheese, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cranberry sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup arugula leaves (optional)

Place a pizza stone or upside-down baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 500°F.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter until frothy but not brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and continue to cook until fragrant, about 2 more minutes. Add milk and stir constantly until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add nutmeg and salt to taste. Set béchamel aside.

Lightly flour your work surface and stretch the pizza dough into a 12” round shape. Dust a pizza peel or another upside-down baking sheet with half of the cornmeal and carefully place the dough on top. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with remaining cornmeal as well as a few cracks of pepper and a little salt.

Slide dough onto the hot pizza stone or baking sheet and bake until golden on the bottom, 6-8 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and spread the béchamel over it. Loosely arrange the shredded turkey over the crust, followed by the ham and finally the cheese. In a small bowl, mix the cranberry sauce and Dijon, then drizzle over the pizza.

Return the pizza to the oven and bake until golden brown, 8-10 more minutes. Finish by sprinkling arugula leaves over the pizza and adding a few more cracks of fresh pepper, crunchy salt and olive oil.

More ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers:
Turkey Enchiladas
The Definitive Guide to Reheating Leftovers
6 Foods That Are Better as Leftovers

What will you put on your Thanksgiving leftover pizza?