Kousa Mahshi: Lebanese Stuffed Squash in Garlicky Tomato Broth

⏱ Prep: 45 min 🔥Cook: 1 hr 30 min 👤Serves: 4–6

Kousa mahshi recipe is the Lebanese stuffed squash dish that is a cornerstone of Middle Eastern cuisine and the one every Lebanese grandmother makes by hand without measuring a single thing. Small pale green squash cored until hollow, packed with a spiced mixture of uncooked rice, ground beef or lamb, 7 spice, cinnamon and melted butter, then stood upright in a pot and simmered for 90 minutes in a deeply savory tomato and garlic broth until the squash is silky-tender and the broth has thickened around them. It takes patience. It is completely worth it.

Ingredients

For the squash

• 10–12 small kousa squash, Lebanese or Mexican squash, short, pale green and wide. Their compact shape makes coring and stuffing manageable. Available at Middle Eastern grocery stores, some farmers markets and Latin supermarkets. Substitute: regular small zucchini cut into 3-inch segments, or yellow summer squash. Mexican squash is the most reliable US substitute, shorter and wider than regular zucchini and much easier to core.

For the hashweh filling

• ¾ cup (150g) short-grain white rice, rinsed until water runs clear but not soaked. Short-grain (Egyptian, Calrose or Arborio) is the traditional choice, it is starchy, absorbs the broth and cooks up tender and creamy inside the squash. Long-grain rice stays too separate and does not produce the correct filling texture.
• ½ lb (225g) lean ground beef, or ground lamb for the most traditional flavour. A 50/50 mix of both is excellent. The meat goes in raw, it cooks fully inside the squash during the 90-minute simmer.
• 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or ghee. The fat that coats the rice and meat and keeps the filling moist throughout the long cooking time.
• 1½ teaspoons Lebanese 7 spice (baharat), the defining spice of the filling. Available at Middle Eastern grocery stores.
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, optional but traditional in many Lebanese family recipes

For the tomato broth

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (14 oz/400g) crushed tomatoes, or 4 fresh ripe tomatoes, blended
• 4 cloves garlic, minced, confirmed by multiple sources as essential to the broth. The garlic softens and melds into the tomato over the long simmer.
• 3 cups (720ml) water or chicken broth, chicken broth produces a noticeably richer result
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried mint, optional but traditional in Lebanese tomato broth, adds a herby depth
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, added at the end to brighten the broth

Step by step

1. Core the squash. Cut off the stem end of each squash to create a flat opening. Using an apple corer or a long thin spoon, hollow out the squash, scraping from the opening end down toward the closed base. Leave a wall approximately 5mm thick all around. Do not puncture the base. The cored flesh can be reserved and used in the broth or in a soup.The 5mm wall is important, too thin and the squash collapses during the long simmer. Too thick and the squash stays firm and does not absorb the broth flavour. Run your finger around the inside to check, it should feel even all around with no thin spots.
2. Make the filling. Combine rinsed rice, ground meat, melted butter, 7 spice, cinnamon, allspice, salt, black pepper and parsley in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands until completely combined. The filling should be loose and barely holding together, not packed.Do not add water to the filling, the rice will absorb the broth as it cooks through the squash walls. Pre-wet rice swells and bursts the squash during cooking. Keep the filling dry.
3. Stuff the squash. Hold each squash opening upward. Spoon the filling in loosely, tap the base gently on the counter to help it settle. Fill to about ¾ full, never to the top. The rice needs room to expand as it cooks. If overfilled the filling pushes out, the squash splits and the rice is undercooked.¾ full is the rule confirmed by every source. Even simply pushing the filling down lightly can pack the rice in too much and result in undercooked and very clumpy rice, spoon it in gently and leave space.
4. Make the broth. In a large deep pot, stir together tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, water or broth, salt, pepper and dried mint. Mix until the tomato paste is fully dissolved.
5. Cook. Stand the stuffed squash upright in the pot, opening facing up so the filling does not spill. If needed, wedge them snugly against each other to keep them standing. Place a small round plate on top to weigh them down and keep them from floating or tipping. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a steady medium simmer. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.The plate on top is the traditional Lebanese technique confirmed by Feel Good Foodie: place a small round plate on top of the stuffed kousa to keep them from moving around too much. It keeps the squash upright and submerged in the broth.
6. Finish cooking uncovered. After 45 minutes, remove the lid and plate. Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking uncovered for 30–45 more minutes until the squash is completely tender, a sharp knife should pierce through with no resistance and the broth has thickened and reduced. Add the lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt.The uncovered second stage is what thickens the broth into a glossy, deeply flavoured sauce. Do not rush this stage, the broth should reduce by about one-third and cling lightly to the squash when you lift one out.
7. Serve. Carefully transfer the stuffed squash to a deep serving platter using a large spoon, they are fragile when fully cooked. Spoon the thickened broth generously over and around them. Serve with plain yogurt, warm bread and a Lebanese salad alongside.

The three rules

Fill the squash only ¾ full, the rice expands significantly during cooking and overfilled squash splits and produces clumped, undercooked rice.

Keep the filling dry, no water, no pre-soaking of the rice. The moisture comes from the broth seeping through the squash walls during the long simmer. Pre-wet rice swells too fast and bursts the squash.

Leave the wall 5mm thick when coring, thin walls collapse during the 90-minute simmer and the squash loses its shape. Run a finger around the inside before stuffing.

Make it ahead

Claire’s note

Kousa mahshi improves significantly the next day, the flavours deepen overnight and the broth becomes richer and more complex. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a covered pot over low heat with a splash of water or broth. The squash can be cored and the filling made the night before, store separately in the fridge and stuff just before cooking. For a vegetarian version: replace the ground meat with finely diced tomato, onion, parsley and pine nuts mixed with the rice and spices, the vegetarian filling is the same as the one used for stuffed grape leaves and is equally traditional.

Serve with

Kousa mahshi is a complete meal, the squash, the filling and the broth together need nothing else. Labneh or plain yogurt spooned alongside is traditional and very good, the cool creaminess against the warm spiced broth is one of the best combinations in Lebanese cooking. Warm pita for soaking up the tomato broth is essential. For the full Lebanese celebration table the complete Lebanese recipes collection and the Middle Eastern recipes guide have everything else.

Add kousa mahshi to your weekly meal planner, make a large batch Sunday and it feeds the family beautifully reheated all week. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

Kousa Mahshi

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 135 minutes
• Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten-free

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Description

A traditional Lebanese stuffed squash dish filled with spiced rice and meat, simmered in a savory tomato broth.

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Ingredients

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• 10–12 small kousa squash
• ¾ cup (150g) short-grain white rice, rinsed
• ½ lb (225g) lean ground beef or lamb
• 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1½ teaspoons Lebanese 7 spice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can (14 oz/400g) crushed tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups (720ml) water or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried mint (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

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Instructions

1. Core the squash by cutting off the stem end and hollowing out the inside, leaving a 5mm wall.
2. Make the filling by mixing the rice, ground meat, melted butter, 7 spice, cinnamon, allspice, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a bowl.
3. Stuff the squash with the filling, leaving about ¼ space at the top.
4. Make the broth by mixing tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, garlic, water or broth, salt, pepper, and dried mint in a pot.
5. Cook the stuffed squash upright in the broth, using a plate to keep them submerged. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes covered.
6. Finish cooking uncovered for 30–45 minutes until the squash is tender and the broth thickens, adding lemon juice at the end.
7. Serve the stuffed squash with the broth poured over, alongside yogurt and warm bread.

Notes

Kousa mahshi improves the next day; reheat gently if made in advance. For a vegetarian version, substitute the meat with diced vegetables and nuts.

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 90 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Simmering
• Cuisine: Lebanese

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 stuffed squash
• Calories: 400
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 600mg
• Fat: 16g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 50g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 20g
• Cholesterol: 55mg