Best Loaded Thanksgiving Pizza
This Thanksgiving Pizza Recipe is a surprising and delicoius twist for your holiday table with garlic parmesan sauce, bacon, broccoi and fresh cranberries.
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 484kcal
Ingredients
PIZZA CRUST:
- 2 ¾ cup organic all-purpose flour (See Notes for GF option!)1
- 1 cup WARM fresh water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 packet rapid-rise yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
GARLIC PARMESAN SAUCE:
- 2 Tbsps unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsps organic all-purpose flour
- ½ cup Almond milk
- ½ cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
- 2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups chopped cooked bacon
- 1 cup chopped kale
- 1 cup spinach, chopped
- 1 cup roasted broccoli
COOKED CRANBERRY TOPPING:
- 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbsps organic cane sugar
Instructions
PIZZA CRUST:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer (with a dough hook attachment), mix together the warm water, honey, olive oil, and yeast (you might need to use a whisk to ensure that everything combines together well). Let is sit for at least 5 minutes, until yeast begins to activate and foam.
- Slowly add the flour and salt (on low speed!), until fully incorporated and a soft dough is formed. NOTE: if dough is too sticky, add ½ cup of additional flour at a time)
- Now, increase the speed to medium-high and knead the dough for about 5 minutes in the mixer.
- Once done, add the dough onto a floured surface and slightly roll out the dough until it’s flat enough to form a flat circle the rest of the way with your hands, about 11 inches in diameter. Lightly grease your pizza pan with extra virgin olive oil and place dough on one end of pan, evenly pressing it and flattening it out to fit the entire pan. Gently use your finger to stretch dough until pan is fully covered and gently pinch the edges of the dough together to form the crust.
TO MAKE GARLIC PARMESAN SAUCE:
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add butter. Once melted, add minced garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrance. Add in the flour and whisk until combined. While whisking, add milk, grated cheese, salt, and black pepper and continue whisking until combined and smoothed.
- Remove from heat and let it cool.
ASSEMBLY:
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit and place top rack into the middle of oven. NOTE: be sure to use a great pizza pan to ensure that your crust is crispy and not soggy.
- Brush a generous amount of the cooled garlic parmesan sauce over the top of the crust until evenly coated.
- Generously sprinkle on the cheese until crust is fully covered in the middle, leaving a bit of crust for the edges. Add the remaining toppings.
- Lightly brush the tops of the edge of the crust with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to ensure that it becomes a nice golden brown.
- Transfer the pizza pie to the hot oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or so, until the cheese has melted (and becomes bubbly) and the crust is crispy and golden brown.
TO MAKE COOKED CRANBERRY TOPPING:
- In a pot over medium-high heat, add together all ingredients, stirring until it begins to boil, about 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow cranberries to cook through and "pop", stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes. Once cranberries have become tender (and are open and "bursting"), the mixture should thicken become "sauce-like". Remove from heat and let cool slightly until warm.
- Once done, allow pizza to rest/cool for a few minutes (about 2-3 minutes) so that the cheese sets.
- Top pizza with cooked cranberries and cut into generous slices, using a pizza cutter to serve.
- Bon Appetit!
Notes
- PIZZA CRUST: For a crispy pizza (especially on the bottom), I suggest using a pizza pan with holes to allow the crust to bake through nicely. I used the AirBake Pizza Pan, which can be found at Target!
- STORAGE: Leftover pizza is best kept tightly wrapped in foil paper, refrigerated for 3-4 days for optimal freshness.
- GLUTEN-FREE CRUST: To make your pizza crust GF, see my Easy GF Pizza Crust recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1014mg | Potassium: 351mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1618IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 263mg | Iron: 3mg