Healthy holiday meatballs

Instructions

• LINE 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Tear bread, including crusts, into bite-sized pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Stir in pasta sauce. Let stand until bread soaks up sauce, about 5 min, then mash with a fork to form a paste. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk eggs. Finely chop onion. Stir into eggs along with salt. Season with fresh pepper. Crumble in beef and pork. Add mashed bread. Using your hands, gently mix.

• ARRANGE racks in bottom and top thirds of oven.

• PREHEAT oven to 375F. Shape meat mixture into 1-in. balls and place on 2 baking sheets. Rinse hands occasionally as damp hands make it easier to form balls. Leave about 1/2 in. between meatballs. (If meatballs don't fit on 2 sheets, cover and refrigerate remaining ones, then bake once first batch is done.)

• BAKE in preheated oven, switching sheets halfway through cooking, until meatballs are lightly browned and firm to the touch, 15 to 20 min. You don't have to turn them. Place baked hot meatballs in a serving dish and provide toothpicks. Great with extra pasta sauce, herbed sour cream or chutney for dipping.