Name: Cranberry Orange Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 2 – 4 servings
Ingredients: ½ cup sugar; 1/4 Cup orange juice; 2 Tbsp. Orange liquor; ¼ Cup water; 2 Cups fresh or frozen cranberries (about 6 oz.); Orange zest from ½ orange

YIELDS:

2 – 4 servings

PREP TIME:

0 hours 5 mins

COOK TIME:

0 hours 25 mins

TOTAL TIME:

0 hours 35 mins

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ingredients

½ cup sugar

1/4 Cup orange juice

2 Tbsp. Orange liquor

¼ Cup water

2 Cups fresh or frozen cranberries (about 6 oz.)

Orange zest from ½ orange

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse your cranberries under cold water and let drain.

2. Add the water, orange juice and sugar to pot over high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

3. Add the cranberries and orange liquor and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes until the cranberries burst and the sauce begins to thicken. Add the zest of the orange to the mix and stir in.

4. Let cool (it will continue to thicken). Refrigerate until ready to serve in a pretty bowl. Using a hand held grater, add more zest on top to garnish.

NOTE:This is a pretty classic recipe for cranberry sauce. I’ve just upped the flavor with orange and orange liquor. Those two flavors play well together and work in this recipe. You can always leave the liquor out of the recipe.

I’ve made this recipe specifically for a Thanksgiving for Two menu I was working on. This recipe will give you enough for the dinner and one left over meal the next day.

A little tip: I love to add a little prepared horseradish to left over cranberry sauce and then use it on turkey sandwich…it is the perfect zippy condiment in wraps too!

The recipe can easily be doubled and serve 8-10 people for a larger party. Just double the ingredients and you should be good to go!

One last note, I grew up on cranberry jelly out of a can (ridges and all) and it was fine! But when I started cooking and realized how easy cranberry sauce is to make, I never looked back. I play with flavor combos and add-ins all the time. (Try my Cranberry Cherry Sauce and my throwback recipe Jellied Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce too.) So, don’t skimp on this one side dish. It takes minutes to make, tastes so much better and is really pretty sitting in a beautiful bowl…extra zest on top!

Looking for other side dishes for your Thanksgiving feast? Don’t miss Nanny’s Stuffing. Roasted Crispy Garlic Potatoes, my Nut and Seed Crusted Sweet Potato Rounds and my Sweet Potato Souffle with Crunchy Streusel Topping. All are fabulous for the holidays or any day you want to add something special on the side.