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A Lebanese stuffed Zucchini called Kousa Mahshi served with tomato broth on a plate

Kousa Mahshi (Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini)

Saif
Kousa Mahshi is a Middle Eastern stuffed Zucchini recipe that has fillings of rice, ground beef, and spices & herbs.
5 from 8 votes
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Vegetable Recipes
Cuisine Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Servings 4
Calories 411 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 Zucchini Black Beauty
  • 2 Large tomatoes chopped
  • Grape Leaves For making layers
  • 1 Large Potatoes Sliced
  • 1 Boneless Chicken Breast

For Stuffing

  • ¾ cups of white rice
  • ½ cups of ground beef
  • ¼ cup of coriander leaves chopped
  • ¼ cup of dill leaves chopped
  • ½ cup of chopped red onion
  • ½ teaspoon of allspice
  • 2 tablespoon of olive oil
  • Salt and Black Pepper

For Tomato Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 5-6 cups of water
  • ½ teaspoon of cumin
  • 4 cloves of garlic grated
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • ½ teaspoon of black pepper

Instructions
 

Coring the Zucchini

  • Cut off the tip of the zucchini. Don't discard it since you will be using it to cover the zucchini when cooking.
  • Use the zucchini corer to make a hollow opening by removing the squash from the inside. Repeat the rest of the zucchini
  • Wash them with warm salt water to keep it firm. Set aside.

Making the Stuffing

  • Add olive oil in the pan. Once hot, add chopped red onion. Stir to combine till it turns translucent
  • Add the ground beef. Stir to mix for few minutes till the juices released by the meat will be fully evaporate
  • Add the soaked uncooked rice, allspice and coriander & dill leaves. Mix to combine for few minutes
  • Add salt and black pepper for taste. Once done, set aside.

Preparing the Tomato Sauce

  • In a large bowl, add the tomato paste, warm water, cumin, grated garlic, salt and black pepper.
  • Use a wooden spoon to stir to combine till it is fully dissolved. No need to boil or heat it yet since it will be done after stuffing the zucchini. Set aside.

Stuffing the Zucchini

  • Use the spoon to fill up the inside of the zucchini with rice stuffing mixtures.
  • Make sure there is at least 1 inch space between the top and the filling to allow the rice to expand when cooking.
  • Use the stalk or the grape leaves to cover the zucchini. Repeat the rest

Cooking the Kousa

  • Add the grape leaves, chopped tomatoes and chicken breast on the bottom of the pressure cooker
  • Add the stuffed zucchini, and then again the grape leaves followed by the sliced potatoes.
  • Pour the tomato broth into the pressure cooker. Before turning on the fire, cover with the lid and close it properly.
  • Once it started to boil, place the valve on the pressure cooker. Starting timing for 20 minutes once you heard the hissing sounds from the valve.
  • When done, carefully remove the valve and wait till no more hissing sounds and the steam. That is when it is safe to open the lid.
  • Transfer the cooked stuffed zucchini into plate together with potatoes and chicken. Include pouring the tomato sauce on the plate as well.
  • Serve with Arabic salad, plain yogurt and pita bread.

Notes

Soaked the rice for 30 minutes to help reduce the excess starch.
In this recipe, I am using a Black Beauty Zucchini since I can't find Magda or Mexican Grey Squash.
Instead of tomato paste, you can use canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes.
If you are confused with the instruction, look at the step-by-step pictures shown on the post.
If you are using an ordinary cooking pot, cook it on low heat for 1 hour.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 411kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 19gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 657mgFiber: 9gSugar: 13g
Keyword Kousa, Kousa Mahshi, Kousa Recipe, Lebanese Kousa, Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini
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