Easy Cranberry Sauce

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Growing up in Massachusetts, after the leaves have fallen, and the air gets crisp, you know it’s time for the Holidays.  There’s something so magical about New England during the holiday season.  The stillness in  the air, the crunch of the leaves, the excitement of the probable white Christmas.  With Massachusetts’ deep history, Plymouth is an obvious Thanksgiving destination. 

I was definitely an angsty teen, slumped over in the backseat of our car as we traveled to Plymouth, listening  to my CD player (I’m literally NOT old.) dreading a family trip.  Secretly, I was loving the views of stone ledge lined highways, cranberry bogs, and the last of the trees hanging onto their colorful leaves. Cranberry bogs lined the narrowing roads along the way to Plymouth, serving as a reminder that Thanksgiving was drawing close. 

For this simple cranberry sauce, I decided to use a complimenting flavor to the orange juice used in this recipe by clipping some rosemary and some sage.  Ya’ll…the smell!!  So gorgeous,  so tasty! Cranberries to honor my northern side, and oranges to recognize my love of my new home in Florida. Fitting!

Cranberry sauce is a perfect dish because it adds that balance of sweet and sour to your holiday dish. It is a refreshing and different taste other than the turkey, ham, creamy mashed potatoes and whatever hearty sides you keep on your table.

This recipe is even better because while all your dishes are fighting for priority in the oven, this is made quickly in one pan on the stove. I have to tell you, mashing the cranberries against the side of the pan is satisfying. Don’t ask me why, you’ll just have to crush a few cranberries yourself!

Home made cranberry sauce with orange juice

I know what you’re thinking! But hear me out!  Thanksgiving is that perfect season for the FLU.  What better way to show your Thanksgiving guests you care by spreading illness, right? 

Sugar has it’s time and  place, but for this recipe, I was really milking every aspect of the cranberry sauce to  bring you a healthy, well thought out dish. 

The honey that is added to this cranberry sauce recipe serves it’s purpose as a perfect sweetener, but it also include health benefits specific to the season.  With honey’s anti fungal properties (amongst the many other benefits), it’s usually the first thing someone recommends having when you have a cold!  Since there are no processed sugars, this is a paleo compliant recipe.

Healthy Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients to make cranberry sauce

• Cranberries
• Honey
• Orange
• Rosemary

How to quickly make cranberry sauce

1. Pour fresh cranberries into a medium sized pot and place it over medium heat.
2. Pour honey, orange juice, and orange peel into the pot.
3. Finely chop the fresh rosemary, then place in the pot. Stir occasionally and cook for 15-20 minutes. Cranberries will begin to expand and pop as it heats up. The sauce will thicken the longer you cook it
4. Before you remove the pot from the heat, use a fork to mash the cranberries against the side of the pot to create a smoother texture.

The best cranberry sauce

Tips to make fresh, home made cranberry sauce

• Use Ocean Spray cranberries! This is not sponsored, I just have a genuine love for their quality and their business.
• Use half and half honey and maple syrup for a sweeter cranberry sauce. If 1/2 cup of sweetener isn’t enough for you, add more honey/maple syrup 1 TBS at a time.
• Love cranberry sauce year round? Since cranberries are seasonal, you can buy them in the fall and freeze them! Cranberries can stay in the freezer for up to 12 months.

No Sugar Cranberry Sauce

How to preserve cranberry sauce?

Here are three ways to preserve your delicious cranberry sauce:

1. Freeze the cranberry sauce in an airtight container. Once the cranberry sauce has cooled to room temperature, put it in a freezer safe glass container, put a lid on it, and freeze for up to 2 months for the best quality and flavor preservation.
2. Keep the cranberry sauce in the fridge for 10-14 days. Let the cranberry sauce cool, put in a glass jar, put a lid on it, and store safely in the fridge.
3. Freeze the cranberries and make the sauce later! Cranberries are seasonal, and only come out during the fall. You can safely freeze cranberries for up to 12 months. Pull them out of the freezer and add them straight to your pot to make cranberry sauce. The time may take a bit longer to cook, but they will be as fresh as ever!

Cranberry Sauce with herbs and orange juice

More Holiday Classics

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• Sheet Pan Gnocchi Caprese with Asiago Spinach Sausage
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• Chicken Margherita(grilled, baked, or stove top!)
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• Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to stay in touch! I love to see your creations! Tag me at #SeaSaltSavorings to show me what you’ve made!