Trashed Up Barbecue Turkey Pizza

With this Trashed Up Barbecue Turkey Pizza, I’m going to be bringing you my favourite turkey or turkey leftovers recipes all this week in the lead-up to my favourite holiday of the year: Thanksgiving! If you’re looking for a whole bird recipe, try this EXCELLENT and popular tutorial on “How to Smoke a Turkey”.

That’s not all, though, we are packing in the fun today; this is also my addition to the virtual baby shower for my sweet gal Jessica of How Sweet Eats. Jessica has a sweet little bun in the oven and has 6 weeks to go, so her blogging buddies (self included) are celebrating Jessica with a bunch of goodies we think she’d like very much and we’re trashing them up, Jessica style!!! Extra exclamation points all around!!!

I first met Jessica in Oregon at a Harry & David event and loved her immediately. She was spunky, gorgeous, and the only one brave enough to dive in and try a bleu cheese chocolate truffle with me. What can I say, we bonded over stinky cheese. On the flight home, Jess was seated about five rows ahead of me and on the opposite side of the aisle. I people watched as folks boarded the plane -like you do- and noticed one particularly unkempt passenger who looked like they hadn’t seen the inside of a shower in the last month or two walking down the aisle, looking at the numbers above the seats. PLUNK! He dropped into the seat right. by. Jessica. and it was a very full plane. Throughout the looooooooooooooong flight, I watched as her row buddy fell fast asleep and flopped his upper half into the aisle where the flight attendant gently pushed him back upright so she could pass through with the cart. That guy stayed out COLD even when pushed into an upright seated position. He teetered a little then PLOP… his head dropped right. onto. Jessica’s. shoulder.

Oh, gosh. I was feelin’ it for Jess at that point. There was no waking that dude until the plane came to a landing. Had that been me, I might’ve freaked out and pushed the flight attendant’s call button until someone came and removed that smelly stranger from my shoulder. But Jessica? She sat there stoic and strong and not at all freaky-outy. That’s just the sort of forbearance, patience, and straight-up kindness that will make her such a wonderful mother.

In honour of her (as she says) knocked-up state and impending birth, I’d love to offer a Trashed Up Barbecue Turkey Pizza that seems right up Jessica’s culinary alley. Pile all the goodies on! This is a fantastic use for leftover turkey and changes things up from the normal, boring casserole routine. Just like I can’t wait for Thanksgiving leftovers, I can’t wait to see Jessica’s photos from when she first gets to hold her little bundle of joy. Congratulations, Jessica, Eddie, and Little How Sweet!

Cook’s Notes

• I made this cast-iron, pan-pizza style, using my Best Pan Pizza method, but you can use the sauce/toppings combo on whatever your favourite pizza crust is.
• I made this with chopped leftover turkey because, hello!, #TURKEYWEEK, but you can also make it using leftover roast, grilled, broiled, deep-fried, or rotisseried turkey or chicken. Use whichever fully-cooked poultry you have on hand! It’s easy like that!
• As cheeses go, I like a combo… mozzarella for stretch and that classic pizza cheese texture, pepper jack for stretch and some flavour punch, and a little Cheddar for its tangy, sharp qualities.
• You can stop there if you like, with the pizza just as it is when it comes from the oven -barbecue sauced turkey with scandalous amounts of melted cheese and it’ll be plenty delicious and good- or you can go all in and  ‘trash it up’ by piling on all sorts of fun things like sliced black olives, pickled onions, fresh cilantro leaves, and slices or cubes of ripe avocado. One way or the other, you’ll be eating large!

Trashed Up Barbecue Turkey Pizza

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Rebecca Lindamood

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Ingredients

  

For the Pizzas:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed not extra virgin, peanut, or canola, divided
• 1 batch of dough from The Best Pan Pizza post
• 2 1/2 cups shredded or cubed leftover turkey
• 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
• 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Optional but tasty:

• fresh cilantro leaves
• sliced black olives
• pickled red onions
• slices or cubes of ripe avocado
• thin slices of fresh jalapeno peppers
• thinly sliced green onions scallions

Instructions

 

To Prepare the Pizzas:

• Preheat oven as high as it will go, preferably to 550°F. Remove plastic wrap from the pans with the pizza dough in them. The dough should now have spread itself (or nearly spread itself) to the edges of the pan. Simply lift the edges of dough to pull toward the sides of the pan if necessary. This will help loosen any trapped air under the dough as well. If there are any large air bubbles, nudge them down with the back of a knuckle.
• In a mixing bowl, toss together the cubed or shredded turkey and barbecue sauce. Spread half of the mixture on each pizza right to the edges of the dough. Divide the cheese and top each pizza evenly to the edge.
• Put into the hot oven and bake for 12-20 minutes (depending on how well done you want your pizzas.) You can check the underside of the pizza crust for doneness by lifting the edge gently with a flexible spatula (like a fish turner). A finished pizza will have a crisp, deep-brown bottom and a bubbly, golden- to deep-golden brown top. I pull my pizzas when the edges have some deeply caramelized (read: lightly charred) edges and some dark brown bubbles on top.
• Use your flexible spatula to slide under the pizza and edge it out onto a cutting board, top with any remaining desired toppings. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing into wedges, then let it rest without moving it or prying the pieces apart for another 3 minutes before serving.

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

did you make this recipe?

Make sure to tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and #hashtag it #foodiewithfamily so I can check it out!

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Would you like to read more of the fan-flippin’-tastic recipes for Jessica’s Baby Shower? Check out this amazingly awesome with glitter and sprinkles list!

trashed up salads

1. Gimme Some Oven – Asian Broccoli Salad with Peanut Sauce
2. The Lemon Bowl – Brussels Slaw with Tahini Dressing and Za’atar Crostini
3. With Style & Grace – Kale Salad with Apple, Hazelnuts & Bacon

trashed up cocktails

1. Dine & Dish – Hot Buttered Rum Cocktail
2. Food For My Family – Cranberry Orange Dark and Stormy Cocktail
3. Minimalist Baker – Bourbon Pumpkin Milkshakes
4. Stylish, Stealthy & (sometimes) Healthy – Apple Cider Shandy
5. A Spicy Perspective – Preggy Punch Mocktail
6. Girl vs. Dough – Boozy Maple Peanut Butter Cup Milkshake
7. Honestly Yum – Maple Bacon Pisco Sour
8. Cookin Canuck – Pink Grapefruit Margaritas
9. A Thought For Food – Mezcal Citrico Cocktail
10. A House in the Hills – Pomegranate Rosemary Spritzer
11. The Novice Chef – Ginger Bourbon Apple Cider
12. Bran Appetit – Citrus Cider Punch Floats

trashed up burgers

1. Edible Perspective – Meatloaf Veggie Burgers with Mashed Potatoes + Gravy
2. The Little Kitchen – Salmon BLT Sliders with an Avocado Aioli & Brie
3. Daisy At Home – Balsamic Beef Burger with Mac and Cheese
4. Cookies & Cups – Candied Bacon Maple Cheddar Burger
5. Climbing Grier Mountain – Trashed-Up Steak Burger with Chicken Fried Bacon & Dijon Gravy
6. Dessert For Two – Bleu Cheese Burgers + Sweet Potato Fries
7. Country Clever – Fig Rosemary Roast Chicken Brie Brussels Sprout Panini
8. Foodie Crush – The Best Cheeseburger Soup
9. Lady and Pups – Spicy Sambal Chicken Meatball Sub with Eggs
10. Two Peas & Their Pod – Sweet Potato and Kale Grilled Cheese
11. Bake Your Day – Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich

trashed up tacos

1. Spoon Fork Bacon – Crunchy Ground Beef and Cheesy Tacos
2. The Fauxmartha – Boozy Beef and Butternut Tacos
3. With Food + Love – Harvest Hash Breakfast Tacos
4. Mountain Mama Cooks – Crispy Kale and Brussels Sprout Tacos with Bacon
5. Heather Christo – Bahn Mi Tacos with Spicy Sriracha Honey Sauce
6. A Couple Cooks – Loaded Huevos Rancheros Tacos
7. Fitnessista – San Diego Lobster Street Tacos
8. Bakers Royale – Trash’d Street Tacos

trashed up desserts

1. Table for Two – Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate, and Brown Butter Shortbread Bars with Sprinkles
2. My Name is Yeh – Mini Vanilla Loaf Cakes, All Trashed Up
3. Picky Palate – Pumpkin Spice Butterscotch Sprinkle Cupcakes
4. Sprinkle Bakes – Cake Batter Confetti Cupcakes
5. Averie Cooks – Easy Homemade Funfetti Cake with Vanilla Buttercream
6. Sweet Phi – Trashed Up Shortbread Cookie Bars
7. Love & Olive Oil – Loaded Junk Food Brownies
8. Lauren’s Latest – Bakery Sugar Cookies
9. Cookie + Kate – Peanut Butter, Banana, Honey and Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
10. Flourishing Foodie – Triple Layer Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
11. The Sugar Hit – Salted Caramel Popcorn Ice Cream Cake
12. Hummingbird High – Breakfast Cereal Cake Donuts
13. Top With Cinnamon – Triple Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Crumb Cake
14. Bake at 350 – Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sundaes
15. Simple Bites – Lemon Layer Cake
16. Bakerella – Baby Block Cake Pops
17. She Wears Many Hats –  Chocolate Covered Grapefruit

trashed up pizza

1. Bev Cooks – Beer Battered Fried Calamari Pizza
2. Rachel Cooks – Apple and Chicken Sausage Pizza with Macaroni and Cheese Stuffed Crust
3. Foodie With Family – Trashed Up Barbecue Turkey Pizza
4. Shutterbean – Pesto Potato Bacon Pizza
5. i am a food blog – Grilled Cheese Pizza
6. My Life as a Mrs – Chili Cheese Dog Pizza
7. Simply Scratch – Steak + Blue Cheese Pizza with Crispy Fried Shallots and Honey Balsamic Drizzle
8. The Beeroness – Beer Cheese Tater Tot Pizza
9. Yes I Want Cake – Roasted Pumpkin Pizza
10. Two Red Bowls – Bacon mashed potato pizza
11. Dula Notes – Pork Bahn Mi Pizza
12. Weelicious – Trashed Up Mexican Pizza Pockets
13. Take a Megabite – Roasted Beet Pizza
14. Hungry Girl Por Vida – Hard Cider Braised Pork with Sour Cherries and Cheesy Polenta

This is my fourth post in my commitment to post every. single. day in November for NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). Follow the craziness all month as I share recipes, family anecdotes, and throw a couple of giveaways in for good measure!