Oh Meatball, My Meatball recipe

Noah Wilcox is a banker by day. But the Grand Rapids man is more than comfortable behind a kitchen counter as well. He’s loved cooking and food since he started working in a restaurant at the age of 12.

During the pandemic, Noah Wilcox wrote down his favorite recipes for a book called "It’s in the Giving." Wilcox said it all started with trying to make the perfect meatball, which he finally did after hundreds of tries. Here is that meatball recipe.

Oh Meatball, My Meatball recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chuck, 80% lean
1 lb ground pork
1 cup garlic breadcrumbs
1 cup Romano cheese, shredded
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp fresh oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp fresh basil, minced
2 tbsp crushed red pepper, more or less for heat preference
Kosher salt, fresh pepper, pinch of nutmeg
Parmesan for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together all ingredients, except for the meat. Add beef and pork and mix lightly with your hands until all ingredients are well combined. The mixture should not be too wet or too dry. Add breadcumbs if too wet, or beef stock if it is too dry.

Make two-inch round balls and place on baking sheet. Top each one with a splash of beef stock. Bake for 25 minutes or until nicely browned.

Boil pasta while baking, and serve with San Marzano sauce, topped with fresh basil and grated Parmesan.