With a touch of European flare these meatballs will become your family's favorite go-to dish, guaranteed.
Western and Eastern influences balance Bosnian cuisine just right. Typical dishes are most often made with minced meat. The use of ground beef is countless.
You'll find it in most traditional Bosnian dishes, commonly as a filling. Just like the Italians, we like our meatballs with spaghetti, but other pasta, mashed potatoes, and rice are among alternatives.
We stuff everything! You name it we stuff it. Of course, that includes stuffed peppers, zucchini, grape, and Swiss Chard leaves.
But also pickled cabbage leaves, tomatoes, onions, pasta, phyllo dough…we even stuff our meatloaf!
Today I’m sharing a Bosnian meatballs recipe. I didn't stuff them with anything, but who's to say that I couldn't?
Light tomato sauce does not overpower the taste of meatballs, instead complements it.
Ingredients:
- Ground beef (I like using a mix of beef and pork)
- Egg
- Breadcrumbs
- Garlic
- Onion
- Nutmeg
- Parsley
- Flour
- Tomato Sauce
- Oregano
- Basil
- Oil
- Salt and fresh ground pepper
Directions:
- Mix ground beef, half of the onions, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, parsley, water, salt, and pepper in a large bowl by hand until just combined.
- Roll meatballs to about the size of a golf ball. Roll each into flour to give it a good coating.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Fry meatballs until just browned, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Don’t worry about the center getting cooked through as you will finish these in the sauce.
- Remove from the skillet and keep warm. Add 1 tablespoon flour to the skillet and brown until golden but not brown. Add remaining chopped onions and sauté until softened. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and basil and bring to a low simmer.
- Arrange meatballs in the sauce, turning each one over to coat. Cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
Serve with the sauce over spaghetti or other pasta and crusty bread. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan for garnish if you wish.
Ćufte – Bosnian style Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Beef, I like using a mix of beef and pork
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup Breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup lukewarm Water
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 1 small Onion, chopped and divided
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh Parsley
- 1 tablespoons Flour, plus more for coating
- 1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
- 1 teaspoon dry Oregano
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry Basil
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- Salt and fresh ground Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix ground beef, half of the onions, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, parsley, water, salt and pepper in a large bowl by hand until just combined.
- Roll meatballs to about the size of a golf ball. Roll each into flour to give it a good coating.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Fry meatballs until just browned, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Don’t worry about the center getting cooked through as you will finish these in the sauce.
- Remove from the skillet and keep warm. Add 1 tablespoon flour to the skillet and brown until golden but not brown. Add remaining chopped onions and sauté until softened. Add tomato sauce, oregano and basil and bring to a low simmer.
- Arrange meatballs in the sauce, turning each one over to coat. Cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with the sauce over spaghetti or other pasta and crusty bread. Sprinkle with chopped parsley for garnish if you want.
Mark Rouleau says
These were wonderful and have become one of our all-time favorites! Very flavorful but not overpowering, as Jas states the tomato sauce complements the meatballs but doesn't overpower them. I agree with your preference and did a 3:1 ratio of beef and pork, other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Thanks for sharing Jas!
Jas says
I'm so happy you enjoyed them, Mark! 🙂