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    Home » Main Dishes

    Cevapcici Sausages

    Published: May 3, 2021 · Modified: Jan 2, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    This recipe for old-world classic ground meat sausages is well loved by all the Slavic people. Cevapcici tastes great as a quick lunch or dinner that disappears from the table in no time!

    cevapcici served with boiled potatoes
    Table of Contents hide
    What Is Cevapcici
    Ingredients
    Instructions with Photos
    Serving
    Cook's Tips
    FAQs
    Cevapcici Sausages

    What Is Cevapcici

    Cevapcici is seasoned ground meat hand-shaped into small sausages that are pan-fried or baked in the oven. It is usually served with boiled potatoes, French fries, or fresh bread. 

    Cevapcici originated in the Balkan countries, it's widespread in Serbia, Bosnia, or Croatia (former Yugoslavia). Their inhabitants call these sausages Cevapi.

    TIP: Here on my blog, you can find more favorite recipes with ground pork such as Czech sekaná meatloaf or Dutch schnitzel.

    In the Czech Republic, cevapcici sausages are known as "čevabčiči". They’re based on the original Balkan recipe with a few minor tweaks. Czechs serve čevabčiči with boiled potatoes and a dollop of yellow mustard. As the final touch, rings of fresh onions are sprinkled over the sausages.

    Because I am Czech, this is the recipe that is most commonly prepared in the Czech Republic.

    Ingredients

    cevapcici ingredients
    • Ground meat; a mixture of finely ground fattier pork (like pork shoulder) and lean beef. Pork should make up at least half of the mixture so that the cevapcici is not dry but juicy. In the traditional recipe, the meat mixture also includes minced lamb.
    • Onion; according to the Czech recipe, onion needs to be fried in lard before adding it to the meat mixture. I recommend frying onion in advance. This gives the cevapcici a stronger flavor.
    • Lard or vegetable oil; to fry the onion
    • Eggs; to hold the cevapcici together
    • Salt and ground black pepper; to flavor the meat mixture

    These are the essential ingredients for cevapcici. If you want a more varied taste, add some dried marjoram or crushed garlic to the meat mixture.

    For the Czech version of cevapcici, you also need yellow mustard and fresh onion rings for serving. As a side dish, serve boiled potatoes topped with melted butter and sprinkled with chopped green parsley leaves.

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    Instructions with Photos

    This is an oven-baked version of cevapcici. Other ways to cook cevapcici include pan-frying or grilling.

    Note: If you bought entire pieces of meat, grind them first in a meat grinder.

    STEP 1: Peel and roughly chop the onion. Melt the lard in a pan over medium heat and fry the onions in it until golden brown. Leave to cool.

    frying onion in a pan

    STEP 2: Put the ground meat in a mixing bowl. Add the fried onions and an egg. Season with salt and pepper. 

    meat mixture for cevapcici

    STEP 3: With hands moistened in cold water, shape small sausages of approximately 3x1 inches (7.5x2.5 cm). Cevapcici sausages will shrink a bit while being baked.

    CEVAPCICI on baking tray

    STEP 4: Preheat the oven to 360 °F (180 °C).

    STEP 5: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the cevapcici sausages on it—Bake in the well-preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

    oven-baked cevabcici on a plate

    Serving

    Serve warm with boiled potatoes, topped with melted butter. Add a dollop of yellow mustard, garnish with fresh onions cut into rings. 

    cevabcici served with potatoes

    Cook's Tips

    • Instead of baking cevapcici in the oven, you can also pan-fry the sausages in a bit of oil. Flip them until they're browned on all sides. 
    • To make sure the meat mixture is appropriately seasoned, cook a small patty on both sides in a frying pan over medium heat in a bit of oil or lard. Let it cool for a few minutes and taste. Season the remaining mixture with salt and pepper if necessary.

    FAQs

    Where did cevapcici originate?

    Cevapcici originated in the Balkan area, located in south-eastern Europe. The dish was probably brought there by the Turks who conquered the Balkans in the 15th century.

    How to cook cevapcici?

    Cevapcici sausages can be either pan-fried in a thin layer of oil, in which case you flip them on all sides while being fried to cook evenly, or as a healthier option baked in the oven on a tray lined with baking paper.

    What to serve with cevapcici?

    In the Czech Republic, cevapcici is traditionally served with boiled potatoes. Mustard belongs to the plate as a dip, and fresh onion cut into rings garnishes the dish. Cevapcici also pairs well with rye bread or Turkish-style flatbread.


    More Czech recipes:

    • Sausage goulash – buřtguláš
    • Chicken paprikash – kuře na paprice
    • Knedlo vepřo zelo – pork roast with braised sauerkraut and bread dumplings

    Recipe card

    cevapcici recipe

    Cevapcici Sausages

    This recipe for old-world classic ground meat sausages is well loved by Slavic people. Cevapcici tastes great as a quick lunch or dinner your family will love!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Cooling the fried onion: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: ground pork recipes

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb (450 g) ground pork fattier pork, e.g. shoulder
    • 1 lb (450 g) ground beef lean
    • 2 onion
    • 1 Tbsp pork lard or vegetable oil
    • 1 egg
    • 2 tsp salt
    • ½ tsp black pepper ground

    Instructions

    • Peel and roughly chop the onion. Melt the lard in a pan over medium heat and fry the onions in it until golden brown. Leave to cool.
    • Put the ground meat in a mixing bowl. Add the fried onions and an egg. Season with salt and pepper.
    • With hands moistened in cold water, shape small sausages of approximately 3x1 inches (7.5x2.5 cm).
    • Preheat the oven to 360 °F (180 °C).
    • Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the cevapcici sausages on it—Bake in the well-preheated oven for 20 minutes.
    • Serve warm with boiled potatoes, topped with melted butter. Add a dollop of yellow mustard, garnish with fresh onions cut into rings.

    Notes

    1. Makes around 4-6 portions.
    2. To make sure the meat mixture is appropriately seasoned, cook a small patty on both sides in a frying pan over medium heat in a bit of oil or lard. Let cool for a few minutes and taste. Season the remaining mixture with salt and pepper if necessary.
    3. Instead of baking cevapcici in the oven, you can also pan-fry the sausages in a bit of oil. Turn until the cevapcici is browned on all sides.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    More Czech Main Dishes

    • Pork Liver with Gravy (Onion and Bacon Included)
    • Mushroom Bread Pudding (Czech Hubník)
    • Ham, Sauerkraut and Potato Dumplings (Czech Strapacky)
    • Crispy Pork Knuckle (Czech Veprove Koleno)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Daniela

      July 19, 2021 at 4:00 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for the recipe. I just made it exactly as written here and it tasted as good as I remember it. I love your site and how it was born - your son's English is great and so are your recipes :).

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        July 20, 2021 at 11:22 am

        Hi Daniela, thank you very much for your lovely message, it made me happy! I'm also glad you liked the cevapcici; my dad used to make it in our house, and it was the best in the world. Thank you also for complimenting my son's English, and I am pleased to pass your words on to him 🙂 Sending my friendly greetings from the Czech Republic, Petra

        Reply
    2. Adam KRIZ

      November 16, 2022 at 2:24 am

      Isn't Cevabcici just about the same as the recipe for meatloaf, just smaller and different shape?

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        November 16, 2022 at 9:37 am

        From a certain point of view, yes. Both cevabcici and meatloaf are made from ground meat. What distinguishes them, apart from the shape, is the type of meat (lamb is often used in cevabcici) and how the meat is seasoned.

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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