When Batali stopped by our kitchen to make lunch for Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, he kept it real simple—simple enough to make at home.

The centerpiece of his rustic Italian lunch was a chard meatball, or polpete. But don’t worry, it’s not some vegan riff on a classic meat dish. It’s a pork and beef ball with a little green inside; the preferred ratio. Super flavorful, and easy as hell to make, to boot.

RECIPE: Vicenza-Style Chard Polpette

These little meat pillows lay on a bed of garlic, onions, and a tomato sauce that takes about three minutes to pull together. No excuses. Have some balls.

This first appeared on MUNCHIES in March 2017.