No Sugar Added Applesauce

Peel and core apples. Chop into large pieces. Put in a saucepan or crock pot. Add lemon zest, cinnamon, and apple juice.

For the stove top: Cover pan and allow apples to simmer on medium to medium-low heat until soft. Stir occasionally. When soft, mash with a potato masher or run through the blender.

For the crock pot: Cover. Set to low. Allow apples to cook for 2-3 hours or until soft. Mash with a potato masher.

Note: You can use regular apple juice, but I like to use apple juice concentrate with water (2 tablespoons concentrate, 6 tablespoons water) because if the apples are a little tart or blah, you can up the concentrate and reduce the water to come out with a sweet enough applesauce (for example, if you have extremely tart or blah apples, you would use 3 tablespoons apple juice concentrate and 3 tablespoons water).