Though Italian mothers and grandmothers do sound and act alike to Jewish mothers, i beg to differ here.
for more than three decades that i am a Jew and at least twice a year we MUST have that dish(alas! for its fantastic flavor we do make this even on regular week days), and never have i seen or heard of such a way to make the balls.
As a professional cook i saw some strange variations of this dish, but i have never heard of adding fresh herbs, or egg whites, added to it.though the egg whites does sound like it might work, for a simpler more authentic flavor, a splash of club soda does the trick, and sets it right back to grandmas matze ball soup.
i only wish i could have get her recipe for chicken soup, for it really was the best in the world.