Spaghetti & Meatballs

Ingredients for meatballs:

4 slices dry bread

1 pound ground beef

2 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup Romano cheese

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon crushed oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Ingredients for sauce:

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes

2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste

1 cup water

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon crushed oregano

1 large box spaghetti

Directions:

Make the meatballs first by soaking the bread in water for 2 minutes, then use your hands to squeeze out the moisture. Combine the soaked bread with beef, eggs, romano cheese, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well. Form into small balls and coat with flour. In a large skillet, brown the balls in hot oil.

In a large skillet, cook the onion and garlic in olive oil till tender, but not brown. Stir in the next 8 ingredients. Simmer , uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, add the meatballs and cook 30 minutes longer.

Prepare the spaghetti according to package directions. Put spaghetti in plates and cover with meatballs and sauce.