Kousa (Stuffed Squash)

Yumna Jawad

Updated Mar 08, 2026

5 from 510 votes

This Kousa is a popular Middle Eastern dish made with a spiced beef & rice mixture stuffed in squash and cooked in a garlicky tomato broth!

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
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Kousa.
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Try My Mom’s Kousa Recipe!

Kousa is a traditional Lebanese recipe that I grew up eating, and this recipe is passed down from my mom who learned it from her mom! It’s one of those labor of love meals that requires coring squash, making a stuffing, stuffing it in the squash and then cooking it all together. However, it only uses a handful of ingredients, and the result is a soft squash filled with juicy meat and rice in a delicious broth you can literally drink!

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

How to Make Kousa

Squash with ends cut off.
Step 1: Cut off the stalks of the squash, then slice off the dried tips at the opposite end without removing too much of the squash.
Removing core of squash.
Step 2: Using a knife or apple corer, carefully hollow out the squash and remove the flesh without puncturing the outside of the squash.
Tool inserted into squash to remove inside.
Step 3: Once you remove the major core of the squash, you can clean out more of the sides again with the apple corer.
Removed core of squash.
Step 4: You can remove as much or as little as you want. Just be careful not to cut through the soft skin of the squash. You can reserve the flesh for another recipe.
Stuffing ingredients in pot before cooking.
Step 5: Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat large. Add the onions and ground beef and season with 7 Spice, salt and pepper.
After cooking.
Step 6: Cook until the beef is browned and the onions are softened.
Rice added to pot.
Step 7: Add the uncooked rice, the remaining salt and stir to combine the ingredients.
After fully cooked.
Step 8: Stir to combine the ingredients, but cook the rice; it will cook in the broth with the squash.
Stuffing inside one squash.
Step 9: Using a small spoon or your hands, fill the hallowed out inside of each squash with the rice stuffing. Be sure to leave about ¼ inch of empty space at the top since the rice will expand when cooked.
Tomato added to inside of squash.
Step 10: Then stuff a tomato chunk on top to seal the squash and prevent the stuffing from coming out when cooked.
Pot of stuffed squash.
Step 11: Repeat with the remaining squash. If you have any leftover stuffing, you can cook it with water.
Tomato broth in pot.
Step 12: To make the tomato broth, heat the olive oil in a large deep pot over medium. Add the tomato paste and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the mixture becomes fragrant. Add the water and bring mixture to a boil.
Squash added to the same pot as the broth.
Step 13: Transfer the stuffed squash to the deep pot, adding more water if needed.
Plate placed on top of pot.
Step 14: Place a small round plate on top of the stuffed kousa to keep them from moving around too much, bring the liquid back to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and cook covered for 45 minutes. Uncover the pot, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the kousa is knife tender and the sauce thickens, 30-45 minutes.
Serve the stuffed squash warm with the sauce on top.

Recipe Video Tutorial

Kousa.

Kousa (Stuffed Squash)

Author: Yumna Jawad
5 from 510 votes
This authentic Kousa recipe is a popular Middle Eastern dish made with a spiced beef & rice mixture stuffed in squash and cooked in a garlicky tomato broth!
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Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings8 servings

Video

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Ingredients
  

  • 16 Mexican squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons 7 Spice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups short grain white rice rinsed
  • 2 large tomatoes cut into 16 chunks

Tomato Broth

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 cups water plus more if needed

Instructions

  • Cut off the stalks of the squash. Using an apple corer, carefully hollow out the squash and remove the flesh without puncturing the outside of the squash. You can reserve the flesh for another recipe.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large deep pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ground beef, and season with 7 Spice, salt, and pepper. Cook for 8 minutes, until the beef is browned. Add the uncooked rice and stir to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  • Using a small spoon or your hands, fill the hollowed-out inside of each squash with the rice stuffing. Be sure to leave about ¼ inch of empty space at the top since the rice will expand when cooked. Then stuff a tomato chunk on top to seal the squash and prevent the stuffing from coming out while cooking. Repeat with the remaining squash. If you have any leftover stuffing, you can cook it separately with water.
  • To make the tomato broth, heat the olive oil in the pot used to cook the beef over medium heat. Add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, or until the mixture becomes fragrant. Add the water and stir to combine.
  • Transfer the stuffed squash to the deep pot, making sure they're almost entirely submerged in the tomato broth. Add one more cup of water if needed. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Place a heatproof plate directly on top of the squash to hold them in place and cook covered for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  • Uncover and continue cooking for 15 more minutes, or until the sauce is reduced and the rice is fully cooked.

Equipment

Notes

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge. 
Freezing: Freeze the hallowed out kousa and store in freezer safe containers. Freeze the hashweh without cooking the rice. Or alternatively, you can freeze the cooked stuffed kousa after it’s been cooled. Whatever option you choose, enjoy it within 3 months of freezing for best results. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Serving: 2squash, Calories: 350kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 794mg, Potassium: 1358mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 1192IU, Vitamin C: 72mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?
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Recipe Tips

  1. Reserve the squash flesh for another purpose. That part is completely edible and tasty. You can use it to make an omelette, vegetable frittata or even baba ganoush!
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Use a deep pot. You want the stuffed squash to be almost entirely covered by the tomato broth. If they’re not, add more water as needed.

FAQs

Where can I find kousa?

Kousa is another name for squash or zucchini in Arabic. They’re often called Mexican Squash, Mexican Zucchini or Grey Zucchini. 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).

Can you make the stuffing vegetarian?

Yes, the vegetarian stuffing would be uncooked rice, parsley, tomatoes, green onions and green peppers. It’s basically the same stuffing that I use when I make my vegetarian stuffed grape leaves.

overhead shot of kousa on a dish

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Comments

  1. Joseph says:

    Hi Yumna. I had a fairly good idea how to prepare kousa mahshi, but your instructions really helped me in making one of my favorite Arab foods that have loved since childhood. Came out with superb flavor and well presented as in the pictures here

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Aww, that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you, Joseph!! Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Anna Cianciolo says:

    Due to time constraints, I had to modify this recipe, making a “deconstructed” version. Cooked the meat as prescribed. Cooked the rice separately. Cooked the tomato sauce as prescribed, adding cubed zucchini. Mixed everything together to serve, adding a blend of chopped fresh cilantro, mint, and parsley. Delicious! I’ve added this site to my bookmarks!

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Yum, that sounds so good! So glad you enjoyed!! Thanks!

      Reply
    2. Jaime says:

      I was just looking to find a deconstructed version exactly as you described!
      Kousa was my fave growing up but I have yet to buy an apple corer…

      Reply
      1. Anna Cianciolo says:

        🙂 I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
  3. lynn says:

    I’m Lebanese and love this recipe

    Reply
    1. Yumna J. says:

      Yay, so glad you love it!! Thank you, Lynn!

      Reply

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