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!
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
- 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.
STEP 2: Put the ground meat in a mixing bowl. Add the fried onions and an egg. Season with salt and pepper.
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.
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 25 minutes.
Serving
Serve warm with boiled potatoes, topped with melted butter. Add a dollop of yellow mustard, garnish with fresh onions cut into rings.
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
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.
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.
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
Tried this recipe?
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Cevapcici Sausages
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork fattier pork, e.g., shoulder
- 1 pound ground beef lean
- 2 medium onion peeled and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon pork lard (or sunflower / canola oil)
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop 2 medium onion. In a pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tablespoon pork lard and fry the onions until they turn golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Place 1 pound ground pork and 1 pound ground beef in a mixing bowl. Add the fried onions and 1 egg. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste.
- With hands moistened in cold water, shape the mixture into small sausages, approximately 3x1 inches (7.5x2.5 cm) each.
- Preheat the oven to
360 °F. - Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the Cevapcici sausages on it. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- Serve warm with boiled potatoes topped with melted butter. Add a dollop of yellow mustard and garnish with fresh onion rings.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes around 4-6 portions.
- To ensure the meat mixture is properly seasoned, cook a small patty on both sides in a frying pan over medium heat with a bit of oil or lard. Let it cool for a few minutes and taste. Adjust the seasoning of the remaining mixture with salt and pepper if necessary.
- Instead of baking, you can also pan-fry the Cevapcici sausages in a bit of oil. Turn them until they are browned on all sides.
Daniela
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 :).
Petra Kupská
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
Angela Werner
Your recipes are a new found treasure. Although I am of German background, they are very much like my German mother would make. She had simply memorized the recipes so there were no written recipes to pass down. Thanks to you, I have precise versions of them that produce tasty meals, just like I remember from my childhood.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Thank you so much for your heartwarming comment, Angela. I am delighted to hear you enjoy the recipes.
Greetings from the Czech Republic.
Adam KRIZ
Isn't Cevabcici just about the same as the recipe for meatloaf, just smaller and different shape?
Petra Kupská
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.
Nicole Weber
My parents are from Austria but due to the way the borders were before the war, we have many Czech and Hungarian influences in our cooking, music and traditions. These taste exactly the way my Oma used to make cevapcici. Thank you for sharing this beautiful traditional recipe
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Thank you so much for your feedback and kind words - I truly appreciate them. Happy to hear you liked the recipe.
Greetings from the Czech Republic.
Radka
Chut domova 🙂 Jako Ceska zijici v zahranici si na ceskou klasiku potrpim a na cevapcicky uz jsem mela dlouho chut. Dekuji za recept a inspiraci k dalsimu vareni!
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com
Moc dekuji za komentar, Radko. Hodne stesti pri vareni a dobrou chut! 🙂