Leftover Cranberry Sauce Is A Breakfast Gamechanger

When foodies talk about Thanksgiving dinner, after deciding which type of pie to make and meticulously researching how to roast the perfect turkey, chances are they're discussing the perennial matter of what to do with all those Thanksgiving leftovers. It's a real (and delicious) quandary, but today's tip focuses on one holiday staple — cranberry sauce. Believe it or not, leftover cranberry sauce belongs on your breakfast table.

Cranberry sauce makes the ultimate topping for pancakes or waffles. To complement the fruit's sweet-tart flavor, skip the maple syrup and top your flapjacks with a mixture of leftover cranberry sauce and tangy crème fraîche. Cranberry sauce could also be the unexpectedly exciting ingredient your oatmeal has been crying out for. You could also spoon that leftover cranberry sauce into your next breakfast parfait alongside crunchy granola, fiber-packed chia seeds, and mellow ube yogurt. The purple hue of the ube would look visually stunning beside the magenta cranberries; top with fresh blueberries for a knockout finishing touch.

Both homemade and canned cranberry sauce retains its quality for seven to 10 days when stored in the fridge in an airtight container, or up to a full month in the freezer. Although, according to Ocean Spray, your leftover cranberry sauce can last for as long as two weeks in the fridge.

It isn't just for sweet dishes, either. Cranberry sauce makes a great addition to savory breakfasts as well, like red flannel hash (Bette Davis' favorite). If you've never tried it before, red flannel hash is a New England classic that marries corned beef, cubed beets, and potatoes, all topped with a fried egg. It comes together in a single pan, and with the addition of tart cranberry sauce, this scarlet skillet meal becomes even more dimensional.

For a meal that'll feed a houseful of holiday guests, you could stir that cranberry sauce into a breakfast casserole bake for a pop of flavor and moisture. Cranberry would function beautifully in this cheesy sausage breakfast casserole with eggs, shredded hash browns, green onions, sour cream, and a combination of sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheeses. It's a rich, savory meal designed to stick to your ribs (or cure even the stubbornest of holiday hangovers), which is where the brightness of the cranberry sauce provides a welcome cut through all that heaviness. To incorporate, just stir the cranberry sauce into the other casserole ingredients and bake as normal.

Cranberry sauce could also elevate the flavor of this croissant breakfast casserole with fontina, cubed pancetta, garlic, thyme, and Dijon mustard. To avoid interrupting the fluffy croissant texture of this particular casserole, warm the cranberry sauce separately and serve it on top of the finished casserole as a bright relish.