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–+ servings
Stuffed small squash in a tomato broth with one split open, yogurt on top and a spoon at the side in a speckled beige bowl with a black striped tea towel and a small bowl of dried mint on a blue tiled background.
5 from 3 ratings

Foolproof Kousa Mahshi (Beef Stuffed Zucchini)

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
Kousa Mahsi is a traditional Lebanese stuffed zucchini that takes a bit of labour to make but its totally worth the effort. The zucchini is cored and stuffed with a seasoned ground beef and rice filling, and then cooked low and slow in a garlicky tomato broth, resulting in an incredibly tender zucchini.
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 kilograms small grey squash, *See notes on leftover filling
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Stuffing

  • 1½ cups short grain rice, washed until water runs clear and drained
  • 300 grams medium ground beef, or "regular" with 80/20 lean to fat content
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons seven spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 3 tablespoons ghee or olive oil, melted

For the Cooking Sauce

  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • ⅓ cup tomato paste
  • 1 cup passata, tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cup lemon juice

For Serving

  • plain yogurt
  • dried mint

Instructions
 

To Core the Zucchini:

  • First wash the squash and cut the tops off. Using an apple corer or a specific squash corer (see blog post for photos of the tools I used and step by step photos of coring), scrape out the insides of the squash, being very careful not to break them. I typically use an apple corer to mark the inside, then use the traditional corer to gently scrape out the flesh. You can also use a thin small knife if you don't have an apple corer. Set the cored zucchini aside.

For the Stuffing:

  • In a medium bowl, add the washed and drained rice, ground beef, black pepper, seven spice, cinnamon, salt and melted ghee or olive oil. With your hands, mix everything really well, working the rice into the meat until a cohesive filling is formed.
  • Take a bit of the stuffing and gently fill each zucchini, making sure not to use your finger to push the filling down. Simply tap the bottom of the zucchini on your palm so the filling can naturally shift down with gravity. Fill each zucchini only 3/4 of the way through to allow the rice room to expand. The rice should have enough space to cook and fluff. Set aside on a tray.

For the Cooking Sauce:

  • In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in the tomato paste and continue to cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Pour in the passata along with the paprika and salt. Stir well.
  • Stack the stuffed squash in a radial pattern into the pot over the tomato mixture. Place a small plate upside down over the zucchini to help keep them in place. Pour boiling water over the plate, enough to reach the top-most layer of zucchini in the pot.
  • Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil on medium heat, then lower the heat to medium low. Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the kousa is tender and the sauce has thickened. This should take 45 minutes to an hour, but start checking the zucchini at the 30 minute mark. In the last 15 minutes remove the lid and plate, add the lemon juice and let the kousa simmer for for another 10-15 minutes.
  • Serve with dried mint and a side of plain yogurt.

Notes

  • The zucchini or squash can be medium in size or rather small, so depending on the size of the zucchini you're using, you may have leftover filling. For this recipe I used roughly 35 small zucchini or roughly 16 medium sized ones. If you do have leftover filling, you can do one of the following:
    • freeze it and use it another time,
    • or you can simply add to it 2 cups of water per 1 cup of filling, along with a few tablespoons of tomato paste and cook it on the stove top like a rice pilaf,
    • or you can choose to stuff other vegetables like bell peppers, grape leaves, tomatoes, or small eggplant. I often stuff peppers because they're easy to core and stuff quickly. 
  • The ratio of meat to rice in the stuffing differs in each house. I find this ratio (300g beef to 1.5 cups of rice) to be my favourite but this can be adjusted if you like it more meaty.
  • Rinse the rice multiple times with warm water to ensure it cooks well while stuffed.
  • Cooking time may be more or less, depending on the thickness of the squash and its tenderness. Typically, you'll need 45 minutes to an hour.
  • You can refrigerate the leftovers for a few days, but I do not recommend freezing them. The rice and kousa will become mushy.
Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 379kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 1167mg, Potassium: 1069mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 997IU, Vitamin C: 58mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 4mg
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