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1
Put the bread into a medium mixing bowl and pour the milk over it.
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2
Let sit 5 minutes.
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3
Add the egg whites, ground turkey, ground beef, Romano cheese, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
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4
Knead the mixture with your hands until it is smooth.
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5
To prevent sticking, dip your hands into cool water before forming each meatball.
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6
Form mixture into 30 1 1/2-inch balls.
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7
Prepare Basic Tomato Sauce: In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, stir together the oil, onion and garlic.
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8
Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the onion is very soft and aromatic, about 6 to 8 minutes.
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9
In a food processor or blender, puree the tomatoes.
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10
Add the tomatoes and tomato paste to the onions and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
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11
Reduce the heat to very low and let the sauce simmer slowly for 30 minutes, stirring the bottom often to prevent burning.
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12
If you are adding meatballs, do so at this time, and simmer them in the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring often.
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13
If you are not adding meatballs, simmer the sauce for another 20 minutes (50 minutes total).
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14
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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15
When finished, pour it into a large, heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.
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16
Warm 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet.
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17
Add half the meatballs to the skillet and brown them on all sides.
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18
Spoon the meatballs into the tomato sauce.
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19
Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil to the skillet and brown the rest of the meatballs, then add them to the sauce.
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20
Simmer, stirring, for 20 minutes.
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21
While sauce is simmering, prepare pasta according to package directions; drain.
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22
Transfer to a large serving bowl.
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23
Remove bay leaves from sauce; pour sauce over pasta and serve.
