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Kousa Mahshi: Stuffed Lebanese Squash

By Lee Buttala
When Dennis Mareb from Windy Hill Farm gave me some kousa squash (a Lebanese zucchini), I had the good fortune of having a visiting friend who figured out the perfect use for this slightly nutty-flavored summer squash: stuffing them with ground meat and rice and simmering them in a tomato broth. If you manage to find or grow a kousa squash, use it for this by all means, but this recipe also works well with regular green or yellow zucchini. You can use ground beef or lamb, although the latter is more traditional.
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Course Main Course, Side Dish
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the stuffing

  • ½ cup uncooked long-grain rice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ pound lean ground beef or lamb
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon allspice or cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the squash and sauce

  • 2½ pounds medium-size zucchini or Middle Eastern kousa squash (about 8)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes
  • Freshly cracked pepper, to taste
  • 2 pounds firm tomatoes, chopped with juice, or a 28-ounce can of chopped tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • ¾ cup water, as needed
  • Greek yogurt, optional, for serving

Instructions
 

To make the stuffing:

  • Rinse rice in a colander under running water until clear. Put into a bowl with 2 cups of boiling water. Drain after 10 minutes and set aside. Add olive oil to a Dutch oven on medium heat, then add meat and garlic, and cook, using a wooden spoon to break meat into ¼-inch pieces. Continue until meat is slightly pink but not fully cooked. Reserving drippings in Dutch oven, remove meat with a slotted spoon and place in bowl with rice, adding allspice or cinnamon, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix by hand to combine. Set Dutch oven aside but do not clean.

To make the squash:

  • Trim off the stem from one of the squash with a knife and cut squash in two crosswise. Insert an apple corer at one end of squash and push through until about ½ inch from end of squash. Pull out core. If it does not come out, use a melon baller to remove squash insides. The goal is to hollow squash until there is about ¼ inch of flesh remaining on all sides of the squash. Repeat with all of the squash.
  • Loosely place the stuffing by hand into the squash, taking care not to pack the stuffing in. Fill each squash to about ½ inch from its top. Reserve any remaining stuffing to add to the sauce when the squash are cooking, if desired.
  • Return the Dutch oven to the stovetop and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to meat drippings. Add onions to the pot with salt, chili flakes, and pepper. Top with chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Set stuffed squash upright in pan, tilting them slightly to their side. Cook on medium heat until the sauce begins to simmer. Lower heat, cover, and gently simmer 40 to 50 minutes. Halfway through, turn the squash if needed. Add water as needed to keep sauce a little on the thin side.
  • Remove from heat and serve squash in a bowl with a ladleful of sauce. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, if desired.

Notes

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK LOADER
Keyword squash