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 20 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
Recipe card
Cevapcici Sausages
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
- Makes around 4-6 portions.
- 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.
- 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
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
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.