Cranberry Sauce + What To Do With Christmas Leftovers

A lovely recipe for cranberry sauce made with orange and a dash of port. You’ll also find a few hints and tips on what to do with any remaining cranberries as well as other vegetarian Christmas leftovers. Love Food Hate Waste.

Love Food Hate Waste

Christmas is a time of abundance. Most of us over stock on food and cook too much. We don’t want to run out or have anyone go hungry after all, and you just never know who might drop in unexpectedly. Luckily, the freezer is your friend and can help out with any leftovers.

In the UK alone, we throw away over seven million tonnes of food and drink each year, it’s really quite shocking. Apart from the ethics involved, I have a thrifty streak and really hate throwing any food away; it really is such a waste. I’ve teamed up with the Love Food Hate Waste campaign to offer a few tips on how to love your freezer and use it to deal with any leftovers from your Christmas meal.

Cranberry Sauce

Even though I’m vegetarian, I’m very partial to some cranberry sauce to accompany my nut roast on the big day. I make my own every year with fresh cranberries. It’s so quick and easy and has the added bonus of being able to control the amount of sugar that goes into it. I like mine to be tart, but not overly so.

I also like to keep it simple so the cranberry flavour shines through. No spices needed, but I always use an orange. This compliments the cranberries well. A dash of port is optional, but hey, it is Christmas and it does give it a bit of extra pizazz. You’ll find the recipe at the bottom of the post.

As well as an accompaniment to the main feast, cranberry sauce pairs brilliantly with cheese and crackers. So don’t forget a pot of it for your cheese board on Boxing Day, or any other day.

Cranberry sauce also makes an easy and colourful gift. It lasts for ages and once opened keeps well in the fridge. I usually make several pots to include in my Christmas hampers.

If you make your own cranberry sauce you’ll already know how easy it and and that it’s far more delicious than any you can buy. Unless you’re making a large batch for festive gifts, however, you’ll find you don’t need all of the fresh cranberries in a normal pack.

Cranberries

In my experience fresh cranberries come in rather large bags – anything from 250g to 350g. I don’t mind this as cranberries freeze exceedingly well and should be good to use for up to a year.

All you need to do, is place the fruit in a single layer on a tray. Make sure it’s one that will fit in your freezer; I use a small baking sheet. Place the tray in the freezer for about an hour, then tip all of the berries into a freezer bag or freezer proof tub, date and label then pop them back in.

Frozen this way, you can take out as many or as few cranberries as you like. You can use them to make more cranberry sauce in the new year if you wish, but there’s so much more you can do with them.

Most recipes using fresh cranberries will work well with frozen too. You can use them to add colour and flavour to smoothies and other drinks.

This vegan cranberry, walnut and apple smoothie from A Virtual Vegan sounds rather lush as does this cranberry mojito from Sandhya’s Kitchen. Here’s a Brussels sprout and cranberry pasta bake from Foodie Quine which has the added bonus of using up any leftover sprouts you have lurking in the fridge.

For something sweet you could try my chilli cardamom cranberry upside down cake. Alternatively, use half the quantities to make mini versions in silicone muffin moulds or tins.

This cranberry tart with pecan pastry from Jen’s Food is one I have my eye on. For a decadent weekend breakfast, these crispy cranberry buttermilk pancakes form Rhubararians look rather scrumptious.

Frozen Stock Cubes

At the end of the Christmas meal, there is inevitably a load of leftovers. My mother always makes soup with them, but I prefer to make rich and flavoursome stock cubes that will last a bit longer. It’s very easy.

Gather together any leftover gravy, wine, bread sauce and vegetables, although you might want to leave out the Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Blitz everything in a blender. If it’s too thick add a little water. Spoon or pour into ice cube trays and freeze.

You may need to do these a few at a time, depending on how much stock you have and how many ice cube trays. Once frozen, remove the stock cubes from the trays and place in a bag.

Freeze until needed or for up to 6 months. Add one or two stock cubes to soups, stews, pies, risottos and sauces for additional flavour. What a great way to keep the memory of Christmas alive for months to come.

Nut Roast

Call me old fashioned, but nut roast is my favourite main for Christmas dinner. I usually make something similar to this lentil & Brazil nut roast or Thinly Spread’s chestnut and cashew nut roast.

It’s quite large, but you can bet your bottom dollar, that if I make a smaller one even the meat eaters will want some. I’m happy to take the risk, because actually I like leftover nut roast. I tend to have a slice for Boxing Day, then freeze the rest for quick and easy meals when I don’t have time to cook.

Just slice the nut roast into suitable sized portions and freeze. This can be done in two ways:

1. Lay the nut roast slices on a baking sheet and freeze for a couple of hours. Put the slices in a freezer bag and freeze until needed.
2. Using a suitable sized freezer container, lay slices on top of each other with a piece of greaseproof paper in between each one. Cover and freeze until needed.

Alternatively, you could make individual nut roasts like these cute porcini and chestnut mini wreath roasts from The Veg Space or these mini bundt chestnut roasts from Veggie Desserts. You can then freeze any you don’t need on the actual day. The nut roasts will keep for up to three months in the freezer. When ready to eat, pop in the oven or microwave to heat up.

Other Ideas For Using Festive Leftovers

One of my favourite ways to use up leftover mashed potatoes is this super quick and easy leftover mashed potato omelette. It’s both delicious and versatile. And it only requires five ingredients, including the mash.

Another one I often make to use up odds and sods of leftover cooked vegetables are these vegetable fritters. They’re another sure fire winner and always popular.

For more ideas on how to use leftovers, take a look at some of my other recipes for using up leftovers. You’ll see I have quite a few of them.

If you love food but hate waste, you’re bound to have a few tips of your own. We’d love to hear them.

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this quick and easy cranberry sauce with orange and port, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?

If you’re looking for more festive recipe ideas, I have you covered. Take a look at this collection of vegetarian and vegan Christmas recipes.

Easy Cranberry Sauce. PIN IT.

Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Port – The Recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Port

Quick and easy cranberry sauce made with orange and a dash of port. Perfect for Christmas, Boxing Day and Thanksgiving.

Cook ModeToggle to keep screen awake

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Jams, Chutneys etc

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas, cranberries, quick, sauce, Thanksgiving

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 48kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

• 150 g fresh cranberries washed and drained (can use frozen instead)
• 60 g golden caster sugar
• 1 organic orange
• 1 tbsp port

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Pour the cranberries and sugar into a medium sized saucepan and place over a medium heat.
  150 g fresh cranberries, 60 g golden caster sugar
• Finely grate in the orange rind, then squeeze in the juice.
  1 organic orange
• Allow to simmer for 5-8 minutes or until all the berries have burst. Stir occasionally.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the port.
  1 tbsp port
• Spoon into a sterilised jar. Cover and leave to cool.

Notes

Will keep in the fridge for a good two weeks.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.004g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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I’m sending my cranberry sauce recipe and leftover tips to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary for the No Waste Food Challenge.

Post commissioned by Love Food Hate Waste. I was not expected to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thank you for your support of the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.