Kousa (Stuffed Squash)
WHAT IS KOUSA
Kousa is another name for squash or zucchini in Arabic. They’re often called Mexican Squash, Mexican Zucchini or Grey Zucchini. Their shape – short and wide – is ideal for stuffing. So this Lebanese Kousa recipe is essentially spiced ground beef with rice stuffed in the kousa and cooked in a garlicky tomato broth.
HOW TO MAKE KOUSA
CORE THE SQUASH
Cut off the stalks of the squash, then slice off the dried tips at the opposite end. You want to be careful not to remove too much of the squash while doing this. This is also a good time to wash the squash thoroughly and dry them.
To core the squash, I found the best technique is to use an apple corer. Once you remove the major core of the squash, you can clean out more of the sides with a knife or again with the apple corer. You can remove as much or as little as you want. Just be careful not to cut through the tender skin of the squash.
STUFF THE SQUASH
Now, it’s time to place the stuffing into the hallowed out kousa. Be sure not to overstuff them because the rice will expand as it’s cooked. While this is not necessary, I recommend adding a small tomato wedge to help seal the squash. It creates an edible barrier to keep the rice and beef mixture inside the kousa when it’s cooking.
COOK THE KOUSA IN TOMATO BROTH
After you’re done stuffing the rice and beef mixture into the kousa, it’s time to cook it in a tomato broth. There are many ways to create a tomato broth. I make mine with olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Make enough to just barely cover the stuffed squash in the pot. And make sure the consistency of broth is not too thick since it will thicken as it cooks.
Since I don’t have a pressure cooker, I use a small round plate to keep kousa intact in the 8-quart deep pot while it’s cooking. After about 45 minutes to an hour, the broth will reduce, the squash color will darken and the stuffing will become tender.
TIPS FOR MAKING KOUSA
- Reserve the squash flesh for another purpose. That part is completely edible and tasty. You can use it to make an omelette, frittata or even babaganoush!
- Keep the kousa extra firm when cooking by washing it with salted water. You can fill a medium bowl with water and add about 1 teaspoon of salt and then scrub the squash with your hands.
- Seal the stuffed squash with small wedges of tomatoes. This is not necessary and many cooks don’t take the time to do this step. However, I found it’s really useful for keeping the stuffing inside the squash instead of spilling into the broth.
- Swap the rice for riced cauliflower for a lower carb version. I recently tried it with cauliflower rice and it works really well this way. If you’re using cauliflower rice instead of regular rice, you can stuff them all the way since the there won’t be any rice expansion
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHERE CAN I FIND KOUSA?
It’s usually available in the winter months in local markets in Michigan and it’s often called Mexican Squash so you can ask your local grocer about it where you live. If you can’t find kousa, try using yellow summer squash, which will be the closest to it.
WHAT’S THE BEST TOOL FOR CORING KOUSA?
I found that an apple corer (Amazon Affiliate link) works really well to remove the flesh inside the squash for stuffing purposes. It works really well with one motion. But you may need to core a couple times depending on the thickness of the squash. To get it extra hallowed, you can also use an electric veggie corer drill (Amazon Affiliate link).
