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1
Heat the oven to 325 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.
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2
Place the bread in a large bowl, cover with water, and let soak until saturated, about 1 minute.
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3
Pour off the remaining water, wring out the bread, and tear it into tiny pieces.
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4
Place in a large bowl.
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5
Add the remaining ingredients except the breadcrumbs and tomato sauce and mix to combine.
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6
Add the breadcrumbs a little at a time until the mixture is moist wet, not sloppy wet.
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7
(You may not have to add all of the breadcrumbs.)
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8
Roll 1/2 cup of the meat mixture between your hands until its smooth, compact, and round (about 2 inches in diameter) and place the meatball on a baking sheet; repeat until you have 15 meatballs, spacing them 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.
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9
Bake until firm and just cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.
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10
(At this point, you can cool the meatballs and hold them in the refrigerator for as long as a couple of days or freeze them for the future.)
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11
Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a large pot over medium heat until simmering.
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12
Add the meatballs and increase the heat to medium high until the sauce returns to a simmer.
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13
Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meatballs soak up some of the sauce, at least 30 minutes.
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14
Serve 3 meatballs per person with a healthy helping of the sauce.
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15
Top each portion with a fluffy mountain of grated cheese.
