Spaghetti and Meatballs

1.Make sauce: Drain tomatoes, reserving juice in a large bowl. Crush tomatoes with your hands and add to juice.

2.Cook onions in oil in pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened.

3.Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes.

4.Stir in tomatoes with their juice, 4 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.

5.Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

6.Season with salt.

7.Make meatballs while sauce simmers: Cook onions in extra-virgin olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.

8.Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

9.Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

10.Soak bread in milk in another bowl until soft, about 5 minutes.

11.Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, discarding milk.

12.Stir together onion mixture, bread, eggs, parmesan, parsley, oregano, zest, 5 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper until combined.

13.Add meats to bread mixture, gently mixing with your hands until just combined (do not overmix).

14.Form mixture into about 70 (1 1/4-inch) balls with dampened hands, arranging on 2 large baking sheets.

15.Heat olive or vegetable oil (1 cup) in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers, then brown meatballs in 4 or 5 small batches, turning frequently, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a clean large bowl.

16.Add meatballs to sauce and gently simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. (If necessary, divide mixture between 2 pots.)

17.Cook spaghetti in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, draining and tossing each batch with some of sauce in a large serving dish.

18.Serve with meatballs, remaining sauce, and grated cheese.