Bosnian Meatballs in Sauce (Ćufte)
Bosnian Meatballs in Sauce (Ćufte) are delicious ground beef rounds, seared and then cooked in an easy marinara sauce. Prepped with ingredients you have on hand and on your table within 35 minutes from start to finish, what’s not to love?
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What Is It
Ćufte, Bosnian meatballs, are tender and tasty ground meat rounds.
The word ćufte has Persian origins, meaning “small meat cookies in a sauce.” Even today, in some Bosnian restaurants you'll hear these referred to as cookies.
Although similar in looks to the Middle Eastern kofta, ćufte are juicier. Imagine them like smaller Italian meatballs. This compact size helps keep them fabulously flavorful.
There are a few versions of Bosnian ćufte.
Today we're making ground beef meatballs in marinara sauce. Not only are they everyone's favorite, but they're an easy to prepare dinner you'll gladly make again soon.
(Don't worry... if you're no fan of meatball marinara, we've got a creamy white sauce option for you.)
Why You'll Love Ćufte
- You can make them with any type of meat! Ground beef? Turkey? Mutton? Check, check, check! (You can even mix two or more kinds.)
- At 35 short minutes from start to finish, what other meatballs in sauce can you make that quick?
- If #1 and #2 weren't enough, any side works with this recipe: orzo, polenta, rice, mashed potatoes, veggies, pasta, quinoa, bread...
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Bread: One slice of soaked, day-old bread works best. (Bread keeps all the great juices trapped inside the meatballs.) Sub with breadcrumbs. Watch the volume, however! Too much bread or breadcrumbs and your meatballs turn soft and soggy.
Sauce Herbs and Seasonings: As with most Balkan recipes, simplicity is key. The base is a little bit of beef stock powder, Vegeta, or salt. This is mixed with paprika, parsley, and garlic. For a more Mediterranean feel, add basil and rosemary.
Onion: Some people find biting into an onion while eating meat off-putting (myself included). Thus, there are no onions in the meatballs. Instead, they are added to this easy marinara sauce helping add an additional touch of sweetness.
Meat: We like these best made with ground beef from a younger cow (veal too!). Sub with any meat you like: chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, mutton, even game. Obviously, the flavor will vary. Want to be on the safe side? Stick with beef.
Tomato Sauce: Use tomato sauce of choice. These include homemade, canned, jarred, or from a carton (box, tetra pack). (For best meatball marinara use pure sauce without additional flavors.)
Lightning-fast Instructions
Our lightning-fast instructions are here to give you an idea of how to make these Bosnian meatballs in sauce (ćufte). For more detailed information look at the recipe card below!
1. Combine meatball ingredients (except flour and oil), mix well, and form ćufte. Sprinkle with flour.
2. Heat the oil up. Fry meatballs for 4 minutes on each side. Take them out. (Make your side parallel to this step.)
3. Lower the temp, cook onion and garlic until translucent. Add flour. Cook. Add tomato sauce and seasonings. Cook.
4. Add the meatballs to the marinara sauce. Simmer. Your easy marinara sauce with ćufte is done!
Ćufte Recipe FAQs
No, ćufte are made throughout the Balkans. This is a Bosnian recipe, but other Balkan recipes are similar. Different regions prefer a different type of meat. However, everyone seems to prefer ćufte in this easy marinara sauce.
Meatball marinara is made out of meatballs (usually beef) and a basic tomato sauce. Although mostly associated with the Subway sandwich, meatballs in the marinara sauce are a fantastic dish and they go well with many sides.
Once you start frying meatballs don't move them around the pan. Fry them on one side, then on the other, and then and only then should you stir them a little bit. This helps with the shape. The flour helps keep them round also.
You only need one egg for these marinara meatballs. The number of eggs will vary based on meat volume. A good formula is one egg per pound of meat or less.
You've used too much or too little of the binder. Binder(s) are the eggs and bread (or breadcrumbs). If you use too little of it, meatballs fall apart. If you use too much they're soggy.
Expert Tips
Flour serves two roles in this ćufte recipe. The first is to keep the meatballs from sticking to each other, (this helps keep the shape round too!). The second is to thicken this easy marinara sauce.
Size matters! The smaller ćufte are, the tastier they are! Don't be afraid to shape them as small as a grape berry.
Storing and Freezing
Storing: Keep meatball marinara in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat using your preferred method.
Freezing: Freeze meatballs while they're raw. Once you form them coat each with flour or oil to prevent them from sticking together. Transfer to freezer-friendly bags or container(s) and return to the freezer. Transfer to the fridge the night before using them. Take them out of the fridge about 1 hour before frying. Continue by following steps 2-4.
An extra freezer tip: to definitely prevent meatballs from sticking together after oiling or flouring them put them on a plate and freeze for 10 minutes (while giving each some personal space). At this point take them out of the freezer, place them in freezer-friendly ware, and then return to the freezer again.
More Ground Beef Goodies
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Prijatno and bon appetit!
Bosnian Meatballs in Sauce (Ćufte)
Ingredients
Meatballs (Ćufte):
- 10 ounces ground beef or other meat*
- 1 slice bread soaked, 1-2 days old*
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons white flour
- 3.5 ounces oil vegetable, or other
Sauce:
- 1 onion yellow, large, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons white flour
- 7 ounces tomato sauce
- 1.5 cups water lukewarm
- 1 tablespoon paprika sweet
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine beef, bread, egg, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix with your hand until well integrated. Use the mixture to shape small balls.* Sprinkle a teaspoon of flour on a large plate. Transfer formed balls on the plate. When all balls have been formed use another tablespoon of flour to sprinkle them over the top and sides.
- (This is a good time to start on your side.) In a medium size pan heat up the oil on high. When oil is extremely hot add the meatballs in. Fry them 3.5-4 minutes on each side. (Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches if necessary. If you notice they are burning up lower temperature to medium high.) Once both sides are fried, stir them for another minute with a wooden spatula. Take the meatballs out and set aside for now.
- Lower temperature to the lowest setting and add onion and garlic and a tablespoon of water if necessary. When transluscent (5-6 minutes) add the flour in slowly and stir (1-2 minutes). After ingredients integrate add tomato sauce, water, herbs and spices. Stir until integrated.
- Return meatballs to the sauce. Simmer 5-6 minutes. Serve with a side of your choice.
- Keep meatballs in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat using your preferred method. Freeze up to 2 months.*
Is 1 tablespoon of salt correct?
Jeanette, it's seasoned salt, which is a blend of table salt and other herbs (1 tablespoon, but you can start with a 1/2). If you cannot find it, try using a bouillon cube (1/3-1/2 of it). You're always welcome to use less of it, and add more later if necessary. Good luck!
Thanks Aida, I missed that. Do you typically use Vegeta or is there another brand that you recommend?
I made this yesterday and it was awesome! I’ve made a few of your recipes and been very pleased, so I knew it was going to be good. The meatballs were absolutely delicious and my dad said he would have gladly tripled the amount of sauce because it was so tasty. I shared the recipe with several friends also. Thank you so much! We love your website!
So glad the meatballs are dad-approved, Rachel! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipes with your friends. And thanks for the lovely review. xo
I made the cufte today. It is delicious! Thank you for your recipe site. My husband is Serbian and he would cook from memory of what his grandmother made and mom also. No measurements, which would drive me crazy. I need a recipe with ingredients and amounts. Now everything turns out perfect.
Andrea,
Thanks for stopping by. We're so glad you like the recipes on the site! In fact, the site was started because all the cooking advice we got was "add a little bit of this, and a little bit of that." 😂
Having measurements makes it so much easier.
Happy cooking!
Excellent!
Thank you!
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! My kids love it. The recipe is perfect, do not change anything.
Adnana,
Thanks for your comment. We are so glad you and your children love this recipe.
Happy cooking!
Amazing Recipe. All my kids loved it, will make it many many more times.
Ajdin,
So glad to hear that! Especially that kids loved it. (We know how hard it can be to get them to like anything. 😂)
Happy New Year!
Hello! I recently tried Bosnian food while travelling and am excited to make this at home - is the mustard ingredient yellow mustard or mustard seed? I want to make sure I make this correctly!
Hi Nicholle!
Great question. Yellow mustard.
Happy cooking!
Excellent ćuftete recipe! Easy to put together and tasted just like the one my mom used to make. My go to for ćuftete!
Hi Dana!
We love that these remind you of your mom's cufte!
Thanks for leaving a comment, and happy cooking!
Aida
I did a few changes, forgot crumbs, didn’ t have a balkan light bread. As a half bulgarian after my mother added čubrica seasoning mixture and no Vegeta. The result is great, anyway. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed them, Martin! Happy cooking!