The Dish: Susan Noles' Famous TV Meatballs

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- In this week's The Dish, we are cooking with one of the stars who will be joining us for the 6abc Dunkin Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Susan Noles from Aston, Delaware County, was a contestant on The Golden Bachelor and will soon star in a brand new Hulu series.

She invited Action News' Alicia Vitarelli back into her kitchen to make the one dish that she's become TV famous for: her meatballs.

The second you step into Noles' home, you instantly feel like family.

"Italians send and share love through food," Noles says. "That's who we are."

Her meatballs have truly become stars in their own right.

She famously made them for Gerry Turner on The Golden Bachelor, and also whipped up a batch for the other ladies living in the house.

"I've made them for every show I've been on," she laughs, "including the new one that's coming out."

It's a reality show coming soon to Hulu. Details are still hushed, but she gives us a taste.

"We are trying to escape a mansion to win a lot of money. We were locked in a mansion and I was making meatballs. One guy almost didn't escape because I said: 'The meatballs are ready!"

The key to the meatballs is a trifecta of meats.

"I use veal, beef and pork," she says, "and one egg per pound of meat. I mix in garlic, salt and pepper, bread crumbs, and of course, Locatelli cheese."

Just mix it in and roll them up.

"When I'm putting them in the gravy or sauce, I only like to brown them on all sides," she explains. "They don't have to be fully cooked, because they'll cook the rest of the time inside the sauce."

Now, we cook a few all the way through because there's nothing like a fried meatball.

It's a recipe she learned from her grandmother.

Susan is now a grandmother herself. The kids call her "Mimi."

She's now collaborating with QVC to sell "Mimi's Meatballs."

What a year it's been for Noles. From The Golden Bachelor to a podcast with her show bestie Kathy Swarts, called Golden Hour, to now an appearance at the 6abc Dunkin Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Even though she's still cooking and hosting for the holiday, Noles is spending Thanksgiving morning with 6abc.

"What an honor to be in the parade," she says. "I mean, it's something that I grew up and I actually get to be in it this year. I'm so thrilled."

So, how is she pulling it off with the meal?

"I will have my gravy already made, and my meat and the raviolis," she says.

As for the turkey?

"My ex-husband will come over while I'm at the parade and he'll stuff the bird," she added.

Her ex is 1980 Phillies World Series champion Dickie Noles.

They spend the holidays together with their kids and grandkids.

Susan Noles' Meatballs ("Mimi's Meatballs")

Makes 30 Meatballs

• 1 lb. ground veal

• 1 lb. ground pork

• 1 lb. ground beef

• 1 egg per pound of meat

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 clove fresh garlic, minced, or tsp. garlic powder

• 1 cup Locatelli cheese or grated Parmesan cheese

Seasoned breadcrumbs (sprinkle breadcrumbs a little at a time. Noles does not measure how many breadcrumbs she uses but says the meat has to stay moist.)

Directions:

• Combine veal, beef, and pork in a large bowl.

• Add eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, and garlic, and mix well with your hands.

• Sprinkle the mixture with salt and pepper.

• Roll into balls.

• Preheat a cast-iron skillet with extra virgin olive oil.

• You can fry the meatballs, which will take about 6 minutes on each side to cook all the way through.

• You can also finish cooking them in the sauce/ gravy. In this case, just get a nice sear on the outside to make a crust. That's about 1 to 2 minutes on each side and then pop them into the pot of sauce/gravy.

Susan's Gravy:

Place a few cloves of chopped garlic in enough oil just to cover the bottom of a large pot, and sauté over medium heat until fragrant. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

Before the garlic begins to brown, add the meat (this can be pork, Italian sausage, bracciole, etc.), and cook until browned.

Add 1 large can (about 15 oz.) of crushed tomatoes and 1 large can of tomato puree (or two cans of crushed tomatoes for thicker sauce).

Add the seared meatballs and then two small cans of tomato paste.

Cover and simmer stirring occasionally.

She says it takes about 3 to 4 hours.