To balance the spiciness of a curry sauce, add applesauce for sweetness. About 1/2 cup of applesauce for each cup of curry sauce will do the trick.

For a juicier meatball, use applesauce. Grandmothers have used this trick for decades. Here’s a simple recipe: Combine 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup applesauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Shape into balls and roll in flour. Brown them in a skillet and then add to your favorite spaghetti sauce and simmer until cooked through. Or, after browning, put them in a casserole, top with your favorite sauce or gravy, and bake until cooked through.

For a healthy alternative to butter in baked goods, replace 1/2 cup of the butter with 1/4 cup well-drained unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 cup buttermilk. As a fat replacement, applesauce works best with lighter-colored batters and spice batters. The applesauce will create a slightly chewier texture in the final baked good. To lighten the texture, use pastry flour or cake flour. Upping the sugar a bit will also give you more crispness on the surface, especially in muffins.

To round out the flavor of sweet potato or squash soup, stir in 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce per cup of soup.