Make a Thanksgiving Leftover Pizza

Nov. 26, 2010— -- Sick of turkey, stuffing and cranberries yet? Well, save a bit more room because this year you can have a Thanksgiving leftover pizza.

Pizza?

That's right. For generations, Americans have been snacking on sandwiches made up of turkey day leftovers. But now, one New York restaurant is adding a new twist to the age-old question about what to do with all that extra cranberry sauce and gravy.

Manhattan's La Bottega Italian restaurant is offering patrons a Day-After-Thanksgiving Pizza for $14 that features all your favorite holiday leftovers.

The pizza at the Maritime Hotel restaurant is stuffed more heavily than the holiday's turkey.

The doubled-crust pizza is stuffed with roasted turkey, sweet potato puree, wild mushrooms, cranberry sauce and gravy.

Consider it chef Bart Retolatto's contemporary take on an American icon, the day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich. In the five years at the restaurant, Retolatto has experimented with putting leftovers into numerous recipes.

"We wanted to present a fresh take on the Thanksgiving feast that felt approachable to visitors looking for a holiday brunch, a hearty lunch or a non-traditional dinner entree," Retolatto said. "Most people don't seem to get sick of turkey, as it can be complimented with so many other holiday flavors. But we thought it was important to attempt a new spin on its classic role."

Retolatto added that the dish is comfort food with a twist -- or, as he likes to say, an "antidote for cold-weather cravings for classic flavors beyond the annual Thanksgiving feast."

Can't make it to New York right after Thanksgiving? No worries. The pizza will be served through the rest of the year. And if that still isn't enough time, consider making it on your own. Retolatto shared his recipe with ABC News.

So, if you don't know what to do with your leftovers, here's a fun way to make that meal stretch out just a bit longer. Enjoy.

Preparation Requires:

A pizza stone

A round pizza cutter

A spatula Ingredients:

5 oz. Pizza dough (basic pizza recipe)

3 oz. Roast turkey meat

2 oz. Traditional Thanksgiving day stuffing

2 oz. Sweet potato puree

2 oz. Cranberry sauce

2 oz. Turkey gravy

.5 oz. Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Set oven with pizza stone at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Press out pizza dough until it reaches nine inches in diameter. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Place dough on stone in oven. If you don't have a pizza stone, a flat baking pan will do. Just remember to grease it with a little olive oil so the dough doesn't stick.

Bake for 4 minutes and let rise slightly; the dough should not brown at this stage.

Take the dough from the oven and slice in half with a bread knife.

Smear one half with sweet potato puree and the other with cranberry sauce.

Building from the sweet potato side, add the stuffing and spread evenly. Pile on the turkey and drizzle with gravy.

Close the pizza with the cranberry sauce side and slightly press down.

Place back in the oven for 3 minutes and let brown slightly.

Remove from oven and cut into 6 equal pieces.