Roasted Apple Cranberry Relish Is An Exciting Twist To The Classic Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Craving a new twist on the traditional cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving table? Try this roasted apple cranberry relish, inspired by Budget Bytes, and watch your family and friends go wild for this spicy, jammy holiday condiment. Long gone are the days to open up a can of cranberry sauce and plop it on a plate. After making homemade cranberry sauce on the stovetop, using fresh cranberries, a generous amount of sugar, a bit of citrus, and a pinch of spice, our holiday mission was to come up with the cranberry sauce that beats all those that came before. ALSO TRY: Zinfandel cranberry sauce Instead of simmering cranberries on the stovetop until they pop, this recipe shakes things up by adding apples, a bit of lemon juice, and a palate-warming array of fall spices—then we roast the modestly sweetened fruit in the oven. The result is an ambrosial, crimson-colored, jammy-thick relish full of tender chunks of apple and softened cranberries. Best yet, this roasted apple cranberry relish is easier to prepare than cranberry sauce on the stovetop. Simply combine the ingredients in a casserole dish and slide it in the oven. Stovetop cooking requires occasional stirring and watchful eyes to make sure it doesn’t boil over or become too dry. With this recipe just give a stir after 30 minutes for even cooking and then again at 45 minutes to check for doneness. No stovetop eye needed. Bring the relish to the Thanksgiving table straight from the oven to serve warm or let it cool completely and refrigerate up to 3 days. Though you can serve it chilled, we recommend letting it come to room temperature or even warming it up to bring out its best flavor.

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Combine cranberries and apples in a large bowl

Add sugar, spices, and lemon juice

Dark brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and lemon juice give this apple cranberry relish a lip-smacking good balance of holiday flavors. Stir these ingredients into the apple mixture.

Pour the apple mixture into a casserole dish and bake

Unlike traditional cranberry sauce or relish, which is simmered on the stovetop, this rendition of the holiday condiment is baked in the oven until the fruit breaks down and becomes jammy. Pour the apple mixture into a 2- to 3-quart casserole dish and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes, stirring at 30 minutes and then again at 45 minutes to check for doneness. The relish should be thick and have a jam-like consistency. Taste and adjust the sugar and lemon juice if needed.

Serve warm

Bring the warm relish to the table right away or let it cool completely and refrigerate for up to 3 days. It can be served cold but boasts its best flavor at room temperature or warm.