Thanksgiving is the leftover lover’s holiday. Who can eat a whole turkey, any way? All those delicious Thanksgiving leftover trimmings, including cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing and turkey, all make their way to our plates the day after Thanksgiving in some way. Some people opt for Thanksgiving sandwiches. Others make a breakfast casserole. We do all of the above, plus Thanksgiving leftover’s pizza. Mix it up this holiday with a post-Thanksgiving dinner favorite that everyone will love. Bring on the carbohydrates, baby. This is your new Thanksgiving recipe.

What kind of pizza crust should I use?

We like to make a homemade crust, but there’s no shame in picking up some pizza dough from your local. You know what else is delicious? Pillsbury dough in the can. Pop that sucker open and lay a crispy, pillowy biscuit dough out for your pizza. If you have a pizza stone, definitely use it for this so you can get the crispiest, crunchiest crust.

What Thanksgiving leftovers work best on pizza?

Literally all of them. Pair your squash with sausage-filled stuffing and a dollop of goat’s cheese for a refined fall pizza. Use your gravy as tomato sauce and lather up your pie, which will perfectly partner with leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, leftover stuffing and leftover cranberry sauce. Have a sweet potato casserole or green beans and leftover veggies to throw into the mix? Great! Health!

Does it matter how the turkey was cooked for Thanksgiving?

Nope, it doesn’t matter how you prepared the turkey. Whether you fried the bird, roasted turkey in the oven or just use the breasts, any turkey is welcome here. Leftover Thanksgiving turkey is perfect always in all ways.

Can I make Thanksgiving pizza without turkey?

Of course! Add leftover chicken breast or chicken thighs if that’s what you’ve got. Make it vegetarian by omitting the meat altogether. You can even make this Thanksgiving pizza a vegan pizza if you have the fixings for that.

Do you have any professional Thanksgiving pizza tips?

We sure do. If you still have turkey skin left, use an air fryer or skillet to crisp it bake up and garnish the pie. Also, be sure to layer the cheese OVER and turkey or chicken to be sure the meat won’t dry out. If you’re feeling crazy, melt some butter in a pan, add minced garlic and spoon that garlic butter on the pizza right out of the oven. Don’t have mozzarella? Use what’s left from your cheese board! Cheddar cheese, brie, gruyere and muenster all make great pizza cheeses.

Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

1 Pizza crust

1/2 cup Gravy

1 cup Turkey, shredded

2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded (or the cheese you have in the fridge)

1/3 cup Mashed potatoes (sweet, russet, any creamy potato will do)

1/2 cup Stuffing

1/2 cup Cranberry sauce

2 tbsp Fresh herbs (like parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Drizzle dough with olive oil and lay onto a baking sheet, pizza pan or pizza stone. You may need to roll the dough of a floured surface before spreading, depending on how sticky the dough is.

Spread turkey gravy in an even layer on the pizza dough, leaving an edge around for the crust.

Spread the shredded turkey around the pizza.

Cover the pizza with mozzarella cheese.

Spoon dollops of potatoes and stuffing around the pizza.

Drizzle or dollop cranberry sauce on the top of the pizza. You may want to warm the sauce to make it easy to drizzle.

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the crust is browning and the cheese is bubbling.

Remove from oven and garnish with herbs. Slice and serve hot.