Aunt Nina's Breadballs and Sauce

More than 1,000 recipes poured into the test kitchen for our America's Best Lost Suppers contest, and we selected this dish along with four others to be featured in the magazine and on our website. Italians have a long and delicious tradition of using bread creatively to stretch meals. Even when meat is readily available, this recipe makes a hearty meal for a large group. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

• When you are forming the balls, make sure to wet your hands periodically. This makes it easier to form the balls and prevents them from sticking to your fingers.
• Let the breadballs form a good crust during frying, or they will fall apart when simmered. To keep them from sticking to the pan, make sure the oil is shimmering before you start cooking, and don’t move them for the first few minutes of browning.
• The point of the dish is that it is meatless, however you can easily add meat to the sauce. Just don’t add it directly to the bread.