Combine the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil while preparing the meatballs. Mix all meatball ingredients. It is easiest to do this with your hands. Form into walnut-sized balls.

Drop the meatballs into Boiling sauce. If the sauce is not boiling, the meatballs will fall to pieces. Simmer gently for about an hour. If you are making the sauce to eat right away, you will probably want to skim the grease that cooks out of the sausage periodically. If you are making this ahead, the grease will congeal when it sits overnight in the refrigerator, and you can remove it easily then.

Check for salt. Depending on the brands of sausage and tomatoes you use, you may not need any. If you need to add salt, be sparing.

Boil the pasta. Pour the sauce and meatballs over it and serve with grated parmesan, or combine and reheat in a casserole, sprinkled with parmesan.

* Simple meatballs in herb and garlic tomato sauce - I've been making this recipe since I was about 10 years old, and I don't remember where we got it. It's easy and very good, though. Yield: serves 4-6.

* This is fine made a day ahead. Chilling it gives you a chance to remove the grease that cooks out of the sausage.