Cranberry BBQ Turkey Pizza is far from your traditional pizza. This pizza combines a few holiday favorites such as sweet cranberry sauce, savory turkey, and fresh leafy Brussels topped on warm crispy pizza crust. Leftovers have never tasted so good!
THIS POST WAS SPONSORED BY CIRCULON. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN.
I don’t know about you but every time I host Thanksgiving dinner I always end up with a boat load of leftovers. I just don’t get it. I see my guests packing up 1, 2, sometimes even 3 to-go plates when they leave my home, yet and still I always seem to have almost half a turkey to find space for in my tiny fridge. Unfortunately for me, I am too greedy to waste perfectly good meat so I have to find ways to spruce up my Thanksgiving leftovers, otherwise I am left eating turkey and gravy seven days straight.
So I put on my thinking cap and decided to use my holiday leftovers in one of my cheat meals that way I couldn’t resist eating them. I happen to have an on again off again love affair with pizza. When I get a pie I can typically eat the whole thing in a two day period. Even with all the love I show pizza it only pays me back in love handles so we have to break up from time to time. In this case it totally makes sense to start dating again and a Thanksgiving leftover pizza just sounds ingenious to me.
So I scoured the fridge and found … yep you guessed it, TURKEYYYYYYYYYYYY, along with some cranberry sauce and some brussels sprouts to make this awesome Cranberry BBQ Turkey Pizza.
Alright, so I started by making a quick pizza dough. Most recipes require the dough rest overnight but y’all know “ain’t nobody got time for that” so I have a quick recipe that produces delicious pizza dough in an hour. I [heart] a good kitchen hack don’t you?
While my dough was getting its life together I made a cranberry bbq sauce using the cranberry sauce leftovers. If you don’t have cranberry sauce leftovers just combine 1 cup of fresh cranberries, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup of water in a sauce pan and cook them down on medium heat for 7 minutes or until the cranberries pop. Then add in the rest of the bbq sauce ingredients per the recipe.
After the sauce was made I added some of it to my leftover turkey to get it nice and saturated.
I also used the cranberry bbq sauce as a base for all the other ingredients spreading it across my pizza dough but making sure to leave a perimeter for the crust.
Then I must admit I went a little hog wild adding toppings. I had already planned on using the turkey, cranberry sauce, and fresh mozzarella but something told me to go back to the fridge for more. I found brussels sprouts and jalapenos, SCORE!
I just took the leaves of the brussels sprouts and quickly sautéed them in olive oil and placed them under the broiler to get a light char. I used my Circulon Ultimum pan because it allowed me to seamlessly move between stove top and the oven like a pro. If you decide to do this step just make sure that you have pans like these that offer versatility between heating methods. [FYI you can have these too, skip to the giveaway I am having below for a full set of Circulon Ultimum Cookware]
My pizza was evenly cooked throughout with bit of crunch to the crust, just the way I like it. After one bite I basically forgot that I was have leftovers.
Even though I feel super accomplished coming up with this recipe I must admit that the real super hero has my Circulon Ultimum cookware. I was super impressed by its quality and versatility as well as how evenly everything cooks. Be sure to follow them [ Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest] to stay up on company news and awesome giveaways like the one I’m doing below.
Tools Used
- Circulon Ultimum Cookware
- Circulon Bakeware
Circulon 11 Piece Set Giveaway
Even though I feel super accomplished coming up with this recipe I must admit that the real super hero has my Circulon Ultimum cookware. I was super impressed by its quality and versatility as well as how evenly everything cooks. Be sure to follow them [ Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest] to stay up on company news and awesome giveaways like the one I’m doing below.
Tools Used
- Circulon Ultimum Cookware
- Circulon Bakeware
Lucky you, I’m giving away a Circulon® Ultimum Collection just in time for the holidays. This new collection is made of heavy gauge, pressure-forged aluminum and features innovative flush rivet technology for ultimate releasibility, durability, and clean-up convenience. This 11-Piece Set includes 2 and 3-quart Covered Saucepans, 6-quart Covered Stockpot, 3-quart Covered Sauté Pan, 8-inch Open Skillet, 9.75-inch Open Skillet, and 12-inch Open Skillet (valued at $399.99). This giveaway is open to US residents only.
Additional Circulon® Ultimum Product Details:
- Dishwasher safe
- Pressure forged heavy-gauge aluminum construction
- ULTRA TOTAL® Nonstick System with premium triple-layer nonstick
- Suitable for all stovetops, including induction
- Oven safe to 500°F
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HERE’S HOW TO ENTER:
The winner will be notified by email on Friday 12/2
*Winner has 1 week to claim prize. If prize is unclaimed then another winner will be chosen.
*Open to US residents only.
*Contest ends on 12/1 at 11:59pm est.
How long are turkey leftovers still good?
When properly stored, your turkey leftovers can remain fresh for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator and 3-4 months in the freezer. First, remove the meat from the bone and store any stuffing separately. Place meat in an air-tight container or storage bag, then freeze or refrigerate.
Can I use a store-bought pizza crust?
Sure, that works, especially if you’re a little pressed for time. You can also try using a cauliflower crust.
What can I use to substitute for fresh brussel sprouts?
If you can’t get fresh sprouts or you’re just not a fan of the brussels, you can use another fresh vegetable of your choosing, such as spinach or broccoli.
Cooking Tip
Once you have removed the turkey meat from the bones, the bones can be used to make stock. Freeze in a freezer bag until you are ready to use them.
More Yummy Pizza Recipes
Now It’s Your Turn
I would highly recommend giving it five stars if you make it. Be sure to take a photo and tag @meikoandthedish on Instagram too! Enjoy!
Ingredients
Cranberry BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup cranberry sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pizza + Toppings
- 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup fresh brussels sprouts halved & sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lb storebought or homemade pizza dough room temperature
- 12 oz. shredded mozzarella (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup leftover turkey meat shredded
- 1/4 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt optional
Instructions
To Prepare Pizza Dough
- About 60-90 minutes ahead of time, take the dough out of the fridge and let get to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, and brush on all sides of the pan. Set aside.
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to fit the length and width of the baking sheet. Transfer dough to the baking sheet and use fingers to stretch the dough into shape as necessary. Brush surface with 1 teaspoon oil and set aside.
To Make Cranberry BBQ Sauce
- Add cranberry sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, worcestirshire sauce, water, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed to a medium saucepan and whisk together. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Taste bbq sauce and add salt and pepper as needed. Remove sauce from heat.
- In a bowl, add half the cranberry bbq sauce to the shredded turkey meat and stir. Reserve the remaining cranberry bbq sauce to go straight onto the pizza.
To Make Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil In a small skillet on medium high heat. Add in brussels sprouts, salt, pepper and toss frequently for 4 minutes until you get a light char. Remove from heat and set aside.
To Assemble Pizza:
- Brush on one thin layer of the cranberry sauce around the pizza leaving at least a ½ inch perimeter uncovered. Then layer on the 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese, cranberry bbq turkey, brussels spouts, onions, and jalapeños. Sprinkle the last 1/2 cup of cheese over the top of the pizza.
- [optional] Lightly sprinkle perimeter of the pizza kosher salt.
- Place pizza in 450 degrees F oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm!
Notes
Nutrition
Equipment
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
**The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products I use and love. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
12 thoughts on “Cranberry BBQ Turkey Pizza”
I truly love receiving your emails of new things to try! Because I am bariatric patient, finding foods tend to be hard to find, you almost always hit the mark for me! Looking forward to more of you here and on BFN!
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I love a good leftover remix!
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