Hi! I have a question about making meatballs. I've never tried it before, but I was thinjking of doing something like this:

Ground chicken (I'm more of a white-meater) or beef
Chopped Onions
Salt and Spices like cumin, coriander, pepper to taste.

Mix everything thing together, shape into meat balls and shallow fry. Does this work? I saw a couple of recipes with eggs added in as well... what's this for?

Do the onior and spices have to sauteed before adding in the meat? Also should the meat be sauted before forming the meatballs?

I am afraid the meat towards the centre of the balls won't cook.

Another question, if I want to freeze meatballs, what do I do? Freeze them uncooked, partially-cooked or fully cooked?

I can help...

The eggs are a binder that keeps the meatballs from falling apart. If you use eggs, you will also need something else, like crushed pork rinds to make the eggs bind with the meat and not be like chunks of egg in the meatballs.

I make meatloaf, meatballs and burger patties all the time and use egg in them, as wel as the crushed pork rinds.

As a kid, we had spagetti and meatballs every Sunday. Italian bread crumbs, spices, onion and eggs were what was mixed into the hamburger. We made them into balls and fried them in oil. The trick is to keep the heat low enough that you brown the outside and cook the inside all the way through.

I now make this exact recipe with the crushed pork rinds or a combo of pork rinds and LC bread crumbs. The pork rinds add almost no add'l carbs and do not make the meat taste like bacon. Though I have not tried this with chicken.

Without the egg, the onion does not bind to the meat and can cause the things to crumble, especially if they are smaller than golf balls.

Cook them till just done in the center if you plan to eat them with something, or freeze them. Cook them most of the way through if you are going to transfer them into a sauce to cook with the sauce. (Extra good way to do it as the balls add flavor to the dish and the dish adds flavor to the balls.

i flash freeze mine cooked on cooking tray that I stick in the freezer that way they don't lump together then I bag and put them in the freezer

Ok, here's a fantastic recipe for meatballs and they are the most delish thing in the world ever!!

1lb ground turkey/chicken/pork mince
1/2 table spoon woostershire sauce
1 or 2 cloves garlic crushed
1 egg yolk
1 handfull of raw spinach
salt and pepper if you like it

Blitz all of the ingredients together except the ground meat, then add in the meat and gently encorporate all of the ingredients (with your hand is best) then make 12 meatballs out of the mixture, chill on a plate or a baking sheet in the refrigerator for an hour or more.

Cook them off in a little olive oil, keeping them on a low/medium heat, and turning them frequently.

They are simple scrumptious and go well with a tomato based sauce of some kind (LC obviously)
These meatballs are so good for people on LC - I've used them on atkins and south beach.

oh and I usually cook them first and then freeze...if they get that far because my family loves them so much it's usually not long before they're all gone! If I cook them first and freeze them, when it's time to get them out I usually leave them to thaw for about 6 to 8 hours and then microwave them to heat them back up.

Thanks guys!