One of my favorite Thanksgiving foods is cranberry sauce. I only eat it once a year and I pile it on my plate by the spoonful. I personally like my cranberry sauce tart. I’m not into sweet dishes as a main course. That means you’ll never see me serving pureed sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows. Sorry! The beauty of this recipe is that if you enjoy a sweet sauce, just add more sugar. Many recipes call for 1 cup, which is way too much for me, but it’s your sauce. I recommend starting with less (they’ll be some added sweetness from the OJ) and then tasting towards the end and adjusting to your liking. Stir well if you add more sugar.
Classic and simple
When you look at recipes for cranberry sauce online, they have four or five steps. Why? There is no need to complicate this incredibly simple dish. Throw everything in a saucepan, stir, get it boiling, reduce the heat and bam…you’ve got yourself the most classic Thanksgiving side dish of all time. No fuss. No work.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You’ll want to make this enough time ahead that it can cool to at least room temperature. You can also make it the day before…I’ve even made it a few days before. It keeps great in the fridge.
Get cooking!
Nothing beats cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving. I’d go as far to say that it isn’t Thanksgiving if there’s no cranberry sauce. As if I needed to tell you, leftovers go great on a turkey sandwich so make some extra!!! If you’re looking for some other holiday meal ideas, I’m making Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad (I made Broccoli Cabbage Caesar Salad last year), Cauliflower Cheese Pie, Loaded Veggie Biscuits, Corn Bread Casserole and Stuffed Parmesan Zucchini Boats. It’s going to be a vegetarian feast! As always, let me know how your Easy Classic Cranberry Sauce comes out by leaving a comment below. Enjoy! Buen provecho!
Easy Classic Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- Stove
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ cup orange juice
- ⅓-1 cup sugar (start with less and adjust after tasting)
- zest of an orange
- juice of an orange
- 1 cinnamon stick (or a few dashes cinnamon spice)
- 12 oz bag of whole cranberries, rinsed
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan adding the cranberries last. Stir combining well. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir a few more times. Lower and simmer until berries burst (about 8-10 minutes). Taste, adding more sugar until it’s to your liking. Remove from heat. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Discard cinnamon stick before serving.
