Lebanese stuffed kousa

My mama's Lebanese stuffed cabbage rolls (malfouf) is a comfort food of mine. It's filling, rich and a bit tangy. It's so good!

Kousa Mahchi- Beef stuffed squash in a tomato sauce broth.

Kousa bil laban or stuffed zucchini with yogurt sauce is Lebanese comfort food at its best.

Kousa Mahchi- Beef stuffed squash in a tomato sauce broth.

Print Kousa Mihshi (stuffed zucchini) By Noelle May 20, 2018 Ingredients 2 lbs of small zucchini (10-12 zucchinis) ½ lb ground meat (beef) –Optional—Or keep vegetarian 2 cup of short uncooked grain rice ¾ cup of white onion (chopped) 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons of olive oil 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 cup parsley, […]

Lebanese stuffed grape leaves, aka warak enab, are stuffed with minced meat and rice and then slow-cooked with lamb chops and garlic.

Stuffed zucchini or squash—otherwise known as kousa in Arabic—dates way back to the Ottoman Empire and is still common in many Mediterranean countries like Lebanon, Egypt, Cyprus, Syria and Libya. We made our Lebanese-inspired version with cousa squash (also called white squash), which are sweeter and softer, making them easier to stuff with rice, ground meat and spices. The best way to hollow out a zucchini or squash is with a manakra, a special tool that resembles a long apple corer found…

A delicius Lebanese comfort food of stuffed zucchini squash. Meat, spices, and rice fill these zucchini and they are simmered away in a tomato broth.

To adapt this kousa mahshi recipe for vegetarians, use chickpeas instead of minced beef.

The meat and rice stuffing mixture for this recipe is a basic Lebanese stuffing that is also used for cabbage rolls and Lebanese stuffed grape leaves. I like to use ground beef for this dish, but you can also use ground lamb. If you have the patience to let the kousa (koosa) rest, after it's been cooked, for a day in the refrigerator before eating it, you’ll find the flavors develop wonderfully. Serve the kousa topped with labneh (thickened yogurt) and thin pita bread or Lebanese flatbread.