To Willie Geist, his mom Jody’s fettuccine recipe is a work of art. And when you get a peek at the delicious ingredients, you’ll understand why. (Spoiler: there’s butter, and lots of it.) 

“The Geist family may not have Italian roots, but let me tell you something — my mother’s fettuccine cannot be beat,” Geist said during a 2015 segment of TODAY, adding that cooking it himself is a bit of a daunting task. 

“You don’t want to repaint the Mona Lisa, you know what I mean?” the host of Sunday TODAY said. “Let your mother make the dish. We were good in my family about having family dinner every night, that was always just a really special time in our house. Extra special when it was the fettuccine.”

Willie Geist’s mom’s fettuccine recipe starts with a “big ol’ stick of butter”

In honor of Mother’s Day in 2015, Geist gave TODAY viewers a tutorial on how to make his mom’s creamy fettuccine, which the Geist family calls “Jo Jo’s Fettuccine.”

“Jo Jo is the name she took on once my kids were born,” Geist, who shares two children with his wife Christina, said. “Her real name is Jody.”

To make this Geist family favorite, you’ll need only a few ingredients, but there’s one you cannot omit. “The key ingredient to the fettuccine is, as it is frankly with many Geist household dishes, is butter. One big stick of butter,” Geist explained. “This is so easy … The whole thing, once you have your ingredients [ready] is five minutes.” 

RELATED: Jenna Bush Hager’s Queso Dip Recipe Is So Tasty, Her Kids Ask to Eat It Like “Soup”

You’ll also need a box of spinach fettuccine, sour cream, parmesan cheese, a couple tablespoons of flour, white wine, and “whatever spices you like” such as garlic salt, basil, and oregano. “You just dump all this stuff in here, you got a big ol’ stick of butter, ’cause that’s how we do it in the Geist house,” the TODAY co-anchor said as he cooked up the creamy, cheesy goodness. “My mom says don’t overcook the sauce because it loses its creaminess, gets a little grainy.”

Once your sauce is mixed up and has reached the right consistency, you simply add your cooked fettuccine and, as Geist said, “it turns into this beautiful, beautiful feast.”

You can find the full recipe for Jo Jo’s Fettuccine via TODAY. 

Willie Geist’s dad also makes a “classic comfort dish”

The Geist family has more than one talented cook serving up delicious meals. The TODAY co-host has also shared that his father, longtime TV journalist, writer, and columnist Bill Geist, would often make his “Gonzo Chili” recipe on the weekends. 

RELATED: Why Craig Melvin’s Mom’s Decadent Mac & Cheese Recipe Causes a Family “Debate”

“This is a classic comfort dish that reminds me of spending a long day at home with my family,” Geist wrote for TODAY in 2015. “My dad’s ‘Gonzo Chili’ simmers on the stove and everyone gets up for more until it’s gone.”

“My dad says two things about his chili,” Geist added of the family recipe. “1) Whatever you throw in from the fridge and the cabinet at home, it always turns out good. And 2) Properly prepared, it should make you perspire.”