The meat and rice mixture is flavored with garlic and dried mint to give it tons of added flavor.
Recently I learned that the average bag of carrots found in your local grocery store has been in storage for up to 6 months. Awesome. Fortunately, it is August and there is no need to purchase 6 month old produce. Late Summer is one of my favorite times of the year for that very simple reason: the Farmer’s Market is finally over flowing with juicy, ripe produce from every color of the rainbow. It is a short season here in Michigan so you better believe I try to make the most of it.
Of course I am a bit partial to the heirloom tomatoes and precious hand-picked berries, but there are several other hidden gems that are a lot more budget-friendly. Today I’m going to introduce you to the world of kousa. Kousa is a type of summer squash that you will find in the market next to the more traditional yellow summer squash and zucchini.
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Kusa squash is light green and a bit more plump than the others. I love slicing it thin and grilling it with a little olive oil and lemon (go figure.) It also tastes great in soups and stir-fries. The season is only a few weeks long, so give it a shot because before you know it you’ll be back to eating zucchini the rest of the year. I’ll spare you the speech about where your zucchini comes from in the middle of January. ;)
Speaking of Winter, today’s comforting dish of stuffed kousa is a family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. Since kousa is only available for a short period of time, my Aunt Paula will cook up a huge batch of it in the Summer and freeze it to be enjoyed during the holidays and other Winter months.
If I’m lucky enough, right around January/February her freezer will be too full and she’ll throw an impromptu kousa party. Happy day, happy day.
Your fork is waiting.
Lebanese Stuffed Kusa Squash
Ingredients
- 8 small/medium kousas
- 20 ounces tomato juice or tomato paste mixed with water
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice rinsed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 6 cloves garlic grated
- 2 tablespoon dried mint
- 2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Plain yogurt to serve
Instructions
- To hollow out the kousa, trim off to top and use an zucchini core to slowly remove the inside of the squash. Be careful not to poke through the bottom or the sides. Once the squash is hallowed out, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine beef, rinsed uncoked rice, salt and pepper. Add half of the garlic (3 grated cloves) and half of the mint (1 tbs) to the meat mixture and combine.
- Before you start stuffing the squash, place the tomato juice or tomato paste/water mixture in a large pot and heat in medium high until boiling.
- While tomato juice is heating up, begin stuffing the kousa, careful to leave about 1 1/2 in at the top which leaves room for the to expand. If you have left over meat mixture, simply roll them into little meatballs and add to the tomato broth.
- When tomato juice has come to a boil, add the remaining mint and garlic (1/2 tbs and 3 cloves) as well as the lemon juice.
- If you used tomato paste/water, add salt and pepper to the broth to taste.
- Gently add in the stuffed kousa. Bring to a boil then turn to low and simmer for 35 minutes. The meatballs are the perfect way to see if the rice is fully cooked.
- Serve in a bowl with plain yogurt on the side.
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Trish C.
Hi Liz, my dad talks about his grandmother making stuffed Kusa and how much he loved them. I found your recipe and tried it using zucchini (closest to Kusa that I could find) while making cabbage rolls. It may have cooked closer to an hour and I’m wondering if the squash was overcooked because mine fell apart when removing from pan. The cabbage rolls that were cooked along with the squash still have a good texture/consistency. Can you tell me if that sounds overlooked or maybe give me an idea of how yours turn out AND if the meat balls made with extra meat filling should stay together? Mine did not , even with a plate over the top while cooking. Also, do you make the meat pies called fiteyeh (not sure that’s even close to correct spelling)? They’re ah-ma-zing!!
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Trish, I wouldn’t recommend zucchini for this dish as it’s going to fall apart before the rice is fully cooked. Do you have a place near you that sells kousa? You can often find it year round in Mexican or International grocery stores. Otherwise in Michigan it’s at the farmers markets in the summer. Sadly kousa is more of a summer recipe for that reason. Have you looked through my other Lebanese recipes? I also have a cookbook of my family’s recipes.
Yes we call the meat pies “sfeehas”!! So good:! https://thelemonbowl.com/lebanese-meat-pies-sfeehas/
Mike
Hi, do you cover the pot when you’re simmering the tomato paste mixture with the zucchinis in the pot?
Liz DellaCroce
Yes I do! :)
Kim
Hi, I am making this for my Bible study group! I know they’ll love it. I need to freeze and reheat them! Help! How do I do that? Please help me as I am making them Oct 2,2018 and need to reheat them on October 8, 2018.
Thank you very much!
By the way, I have heard vegetarian style stuffing it with tabouleh salad before.
Liz DellaCroce
I have them in my freezer as well! To reheat simply place in the refrigerator 24 hours before you wish to eat them so they can thaw slowly. Alternatively, leave on counter and they should thaw in 4 hours or so. To reheat, place in a pan and warm. :)
Shelley
Liz, if I am unable to find the Kusa squash here in Georgia. How much
will a plain old Zucchini squash take away from the taste? And thanks
BTW this sounds scrumptious.
Liz DellaCroce
I’ve never used zucchini before but I don’t see why not! If you try it will you let me know how it turns out?
Kim
Go to a Mexican market if you have one. That’s where I get mine in Oklahoma.
Liz DellaCroce
YES! Such a great idea and reminder!
PENNY
My mother in law,always mar a dish using the inside of the moods she scooped out and put onions, tomatoes and stirfriedtjose. I believe she broke eggs over top and let those cook. Do you know thus,recipe?
Liz DellaCroce
No I don’t but that sounds incredible!!!
Lisa
Where does the 2T of fresh lemon juice go? It’s in the ingredient list but not in the recipe directions. Thanks!
Liz DellaCroce
So sorry about that – it goes in the tomato juice mixture. I just edited the post!!
Ray
Will definitely try this recipe. I spent my summers in Lebanon growing up and my grandmother would make this dish. I’ve always wanted to make it myself but have never been able to find the correct variety of squash, even at our famous State Farmers Market here in Raleigh, NC. However if anyone else is having this problem too, I found the following seeds and will be growing them in our garden: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-7670-magda.aspx
Liz DellaCroce
I hope you make it and love it Ray! It’s one of my all time favorite dishes!
Nola
What’s the best way to freeze them?
:)
Do you know the vegetarian version of this dish? I used to eat this is a Lebanese restaurant (which is now closed) and they stuffed their squash with a meatless bulgur filling which was quite delicious! They will serve the stuffed squashes with a tomato sauce and the tomato sauce was spiced with cinnamon and other spices. It was very good and I crave for this.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi There – I’m afraid I’ve never eaten the vegetarian version but it sounds delicious. I tried googling to find an option for you but there are a million varieties and I’m not sure which one has the flavors you’re seeking. I would definitely search online though – looks like tons of options!!
:)
Oh, thank you for trying to find the vegetarian version for me. That is very nice. At least I know how the squash is hollowed out and stuffed. Thank you again!
Liz DellaCroce
Another idea off the top of my head is to sauté eggplant with cooked bulgur wheat, tomato sauce, cinnamon, salt, pepper. Clarified butter (ghee) doesn’t hurt either. Enjoy!
Liz Della Croce
Thank you Jason! We love lamb too although I kept it with beef to keep the fat and calories down for my blog. Thanks so much for finding me!!
Jason in Seattle
Another suggestion is ground lamb. Lebanese kousa was a fall staple in my house growing up. I'm glad to see others enjoying it. We had a yummy serving of it last night.
Liz Della Croce
I've done it with ground turkey but for just 20 calories more per serving, I would highly recommend lean ground beef. You could really use any ground meat but I think the beef makes a big difference and is worth it for just 20 extra calories!
Corinne
Liz:
This would be a nice alternative to cabbage rolls. I am always looking to try some new recipe with squash. They are so plentiful this time of year. I need to check out this variety at my farmers market. I was wondering, Could you substitute a lean ground chicken or turkey instead of the beef?