So, I’m sure you’ve been eagerly awaiting the epic conclusion of my 2-part blog post this week! In case you missed it, you’ll want to check out Part 1, containing my Paleo Plantain Pizza Crust recipe!
In my last post, I briefly mentioned that Mark and I had 3 separate Thanksgivings – one with each family, plus one of our own. Naturally, we ended up eating quite a bit of Thanksgiving food all weekend! We’re both obsessed with stuffing and sides, so those items disappeared quickly, leaving behind mainly turkey. Plus, I had also made my Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Cranberry Orange Sauce for our mini post-Thanksgiving dinner, so we had extra chicken and Cranberry Orange Sauce, too!
I wanted a creative way to use up our turkey, chicken, and cranberry sauce that didn’t involve soup or salad. While I’m probably not the first food blogger to think of putting Thanksgiving leftovers into a pizza, I will say that my resulting Turkey Cranberry Prosciutto Pizza has to be one of the best! (And it’s AIP and Paleo to boot!) This pizza combines familiar Thanksgiving flavors of turkey, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin with some new ones, thanks to crispy prosciutto and of course, my latest Paleo Plantain Pizza Crust. Who would’ve thought that a “leftovers” pizza would become my new favorite?!
Before I share my Turkey Cranberry Prosciutto Pizza recipe, I just have to say how thankful I was to not feel one bit deprived this Thanksgiving while on the autoimmune protocol diet. That’s partly because I made up some of my own recipes for Thanksgiving, but it’s also due to other amazing AIP food bloggers out there who continue to inspire me with their recipes and healthy journeys!
Here’s a shout out to a few of the food bloggers and their recipes that helped complete our awesome AIP Thanksgiving menu:
- Roasted Turkey stuffed with herbs and citrus fruits (my Mom)
- Cranberry Orange Sauce (Fed and Fulfilled)
- Pumpkin Gravy (Sweet Potatoes and Social Change)
- Roasted Rainbow Root Veggies (Fed and Fulfilled)
- Cauliflower/Sweet Potato Mash (my Mom)
- Autoimmune Paleo Stuffing (Vibrant Life Army Wife)
- Sweet Potato Biscuit Stuffing (hopefully a future blog recipe!)
- Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms (my Mom)
- AIP Pumpkin Pie (Grazed and Enthused)
- Apple Cranberry Streusel Pie with AIP Pie Crust (filling- my own recipe, crust- Vibrant Life Army Wife)
Everything was incredible! Even my Dad agreed that it was one of our best Thanksgiving meals ever! Three cheers for AIP! On that note, let’s make some AIP Turkey Cranberry Prosciutto Pizza! 🙂
If some of you are reading this and lamenting that you don’t have any Thanksgiving leftovers left, not to worry! You could totally make this pizza after ANY big holiday to use up turkey, chicken, or even ham! So definitely keep this in mind for Christmas or New Year’s, too!
But, if you want to make this recipe ASAP, just substitute pre-cooked rotisserie chicken in place of the turkey, or use half turkey, half chicken, like I did. If you have an Instant Pot, make my Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Cranberry Orange Sauce ahead of time, then save some of the meat and sauce to use in this recipe. Or, just grab store-bought cranberry sauce if you’re in a pinch!
Aside from the turkey and cranberry sauce, you’ll want to throw together my Paleo Plantain Pizza Crust before you get started. Super easy!
While the crust is baking, sauté a sliced onion, shaved brussels sprouts, garlic, and mushrooms. Once the veggies are cooked, set that aside and begin the pumpkin sage pizza sauce.
For the sauce, combine a cup of canned pumpkin with coconut milk, sage, rosemary, balsamic vinegar, and spices. Stir it together over low heat until it’s warmed through, then spread a thick layer of the pumpkin sage sauce over the baked crust. Top it off with the brussels sprouts, onion, and mushroom mixture.
Warm up your leftover turkey, then add that to the pizza, along with the prosciutto. I know prosciutto isn’t at all a Thanksgiving leftover item, but I felt like it added just the right texture and flavor to the dish. Plus, it’s SO good with cranberry sauce!!
Finally, throw your “leftovers pizza” into the oven so that the prosciutto crisps up and browns nicely. In about 8-10 minutes, you’ll have yourself a mouth-watering pizza!
Before you dig in, spoon some warmed up cranberry sauce (in my case, Cranberry Orange Sauce) liberally all over the pizza. How beautiful is this?!
Now that the pizza is glistening with cranberry sauce, go sink your teeth into a thick slice of Turkey Cranberry Prosciutto Pizza! And unlike your Thanksgiving turkey, the leftovers from this amazing pizza won’t last you very long! Enjoy!
- 1 pre-baked Paleo Plantain Pizza Crust
- 1 onion
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 cups shredded brussels sprouts
- 1-8 ounce pack of sliced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups cooked shredded turkey or chicken
- 4 ounces prosciutto ham
- ½ cup Cranberry Orange Sauce
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- Preheat oven to 450 and follow instructions for making the Paleo Plantain Pizza Crust.
- While pizza crust is baking, slice onion, then sauté in a large skillet with coconut oil for 5 minutes over medium heat, until lightly browned and softened.
- Add in garlic, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Stir together the sauce ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, until warmed through and combined. Set aside.
- Warm up shredded turkey and cranberry sauce in microwave until slightly warm. Set aside.
- Once pizza crust is pre-baked, spread pumpkin sage pizza sauce over top.
- Next, add the brussels sprouts mixture and spread evenly on the pizza.
- Sprinkle shredded turkey onto the pizza, followed by pieces of prosciutto.
- Bake pizza at 450 degrees for an additional 8-10 minutes, until prosciutto is crisp.
- Top pizza with warmed Cranberry Orange Sauce.
Laura says
This pizza looks so yummy! I am brand new to AIP, and am so relieved I found your blog…however, my husband can not have coconut. The oil I have no problem subbing out, but recipes with full fat coconut are hard.. do you have any suggestions on what I could use as an alternative so we can both enjoy the same meal without loosing the creaminess from full fat?
Joanna says
Hi Laura,
Thanks for connecting! I’m glad you found my blog, too! 😉
So, in answer to your question… There really isn’t an AIP-friendly alternative to full fat coconut milk that I’m aware of. If you and your husband can tolerate nuts/seeds, you could use nut, flax, or hemp milk in place of coconut milk and possibly cashew cream for the thicker coconut cream- (made by soaking cashews for several hours, draining, and blending.) But if you’re just starting AIP, there really isn’t a good alternative that isn’t nut, soy, or dairy-based. Unless you cook him something separately, which would be a lot of work! Sorry there isn’t an easier solution that I can think of. I wish you all the best in your health journey! 💕