Welcome to another edition of Thanksgiving recipe amazingness!
If you’ve been following along, you’ve probably already seen my recipe for Dijon and Sage Roasted Squash (and if you haven’t yet, you should jump over there right now and check it out!).
I wasn’t quite done with my flavor craziness at that point, because I decided cranberry sauce needed to be invited to the party, too. I know turkey and cranberries usually show up at holiday parties together, but since the side in question is a vegan dish, the turkey just flat out wasn’t invited.
Sorry, turkey (not sorry).
Squash can be a really hearty part of a Thanksgiving spread, so I thought it could probably stand up quite well to the sweet-tart flavors of a homemade cranberry sauce.
And I know, I know – I already put Dijon and sage together on the squash, so that might seem like a lot to handle. But don’t run away yet. This delicious combo took it to another incredible, mind-blowing level of flavor.
And I’m sure it would be delicious with poultry, too, or whatever you’re including in your Thanksgiving spread.
Instead of doing just regular ol’ cranberry sauce, I decided to spice it up with another of the late fall season’s most amazing gifts – pomegranate.
The pomegranate in this really adds an extra dimension of flavor and texture. It’s one of those things that will just make a guest tilt their head (imagine a cute puppy) and ask what that added special flavor is. It’s noticeable, but not overpowering.
And it’s noticeable in a good way. Like, really good.
If you’re like me and are pretty tired of the traditional cranberry orange relish, definitely give this a go. It’s my new go-to cranberry sauce, and I’m pretty stoked on it, especially now that I now how to quickly and cleanly prep a pomegranate.
I’m actually pretty stoked on cranberry sauce in general. This is for two reasons:
- It’s really tasty and satisfies my sweet-tart cravings.
- It is SO EASY to make from scratch. In fact, it’s so easy that I really wonder why anyone would ever buy it in a can.
I’ll say it: Whoever buys the canned version should be shunned (sorry, not sorry?).
And then, if you made my super flavorful and adorable dumpling squash, you can eat it all together!
I know you might think I’m crazy (we’ve been over this…) but the flavors went really well together. AJ, a self-proclaimed non-squash-lover, even said, “Wow, the sauce goes really well with the squash.” For the record, he purportedly doesn’t even like cranberry sauce.
Now who’s crazy?
Don’t answer that. BUT. Go make this recipe AND the squash and try them together and tell me you loved it (you can give this recipe a rating below!).
Even if it’s not Thanksgiving and you just want to make a tasty accompaniment to serve with squash or roasted root vegetables (or even chicken, turkey, or pork, for the meat-eaters out there) you’ll love it.
We totally made the squash and berry sauce combo on a regular weeknight, and served it alongside some rice. It’s gooooooood.
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Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Pomegranate cranberry sauce is tart and delicious, a refreshing spin on the same-old canned variety (that nobody really enjoys). Add this recipe to your Thanksgiving menu today!
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3/4 cup pomegranate juice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a heavy, wide saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring very often.
- Reduce the heat to just above a simmer and let cook, stirring very often, until almost all of the cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes. It will still be rather liquidy at this point, but will gel as it cools.
- Remove from the heat, let cool, refrigerate if desired. Sprinkle with pomegranate arils before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thanksgiving
Keywords: cranberry sauce, pomegranate, cranberry, Thanksgiving
Craving even more delicious cranberry recipes to add to your holiday table? Don’t miss our these delectable options:
- Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
- Spicy and Tangy Fermented Cranberry Mole with Cocoa and Hot Peppers
- Orange Cranberry Nut Bread
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published November 9, 2015. Last updated: November 28, 2021 at 12:26 pm. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
