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Lebanese Kousa Soup with Meatballs is an easier, faster way to all of the flavors we love in a beautiful, warming bowl of soup.
I make it known around my kitchen that chopping is not my favorite task. Ask me to knead the dough or whisk the meringue, and I’m running straight to it. Dice a huge onion? Sure, I know just how to do it well from my mom-training and culinary school (sharp knife is key). But it’s not going to get me excited and if you’re standing by looking for something to do, I’ll be asking.
Enter stuffed kousa. I’m not saying it’s so bad as my onion-dice that I want to avoid coring the koosa and stuffing it with meat and rice. No I’m not saying that. No. BUT: I think rather often about how to enjoy my koosa flavors without the coring and stuffing. One of you let me know over the years that he makes a koosa mash-up by simply cooking all of the ingredients in tomato broth, to get there faster and easier. I love that idea!
Here’s my easy way to stuffed koosa flavors: as a soup. No coring necessary. Beautiful, deeply savory Lebanese Kousa Soup with Meatballs! And rice!
Ingredient Notes
The key ingredients for Kousa Soup are the same key ingredients in stuffed kousa mehsheh. Plus a few others to give us all of the flavors and textures we need in the soup form of this incredibly delicious dish.
Here’s what you need:
Kousa squash. This is a pale green, small squash a little less long and lean than green or yellow zucchini. Many grocery stores carry kousa, but it’s more often called tetame or gray squash. I’ve also seen koosa sold as “Korean squash.” If kousa isn’t readily available, substitute green or yellow zucchini.
Yellow onion and celery. These are soup basics, diced and aromatic. I love what celery does for the flavors in this soup even though it is not typically included in stuffed koosa recipes.
Tomato juice. Plain tomato juice is used as the broth for the soup. It’s looser than tomato sauce, and we loosen it even further with some water.
Long grain rice. Rice is a basic in our Lebanese stuffed vegetable recipes and works so well in soup! My mother’s favorite was Uncle Ben’s (now Ben’s). Mahatma or any long grain rice work well here too. See below to substitute brown rice.
Ground lamb or beef, for meatballs.
Fine Bulgur, also for the meatballs. I use bulgur here in place of bread crumbs. It’s a favorite in Middle Eastern cooking, but also: it’s healthier! Bulgur is a higher protein grain.
Spices. Use cinnamon as in many stuffed koosa recipes, or try 7 Spice or Baharat here. Dried mint is incredibly flavorful in the meatballs, along with fresh garlic.
Herbs. Chopped mint gives fresh flavor and color to the finished soup.
Lemon Juice. Squeeze half of a lemon in the soup just before serving. Brightness galore.
Tips for making the soup.
One of the main reasons to make Kousa Soup rather than Stuffed Kousa is how easily and quickly it comes together! Like so:
- Saute the aromatics—the onion and celery—in a touch of olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and few grinds of black pepper. Add the squash and minced garlic with another dash of salt. Saute, cover, and cook until softened.
**Adding a little salt with each addition of ingredients gives those ingredients even more flavor! - Make little meatballs! These are a fun, pretty, and much more flavorful way to include ground beef or lamb than simply ground. The meat is mixed with fine bulgur and spices. The meatballs are very small, about 1-inch. Think Italian Wedding Soup!
- Add the long grain rice and cinnamon. Stir to coat it.
- Add the tomato juice and water to the soup pot. Cook until the rice is soft.
- Add the meatballs and continue cooking until they are are cooked through.
- Add more water to loosen the soup if the broth is too thick.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Finish with lemon juice, and serve in warmed bowls with a dollop of labneh and chopped fresh mint.
Substitutions and Variations
- If koiusa isn’t readily available, substitute green or yellow zucchini.
- If you’re interested in brown rice rather than white, use cooked brown rice. Brown rice takes longer to cook, and absorbs more liquid, which is why it’s best to use pre-cooked brown rice.
- To make Lebanese Kousa Soup vegan, leave out the meatballs and labneh. Add a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas to the pot after adding the tomato juice. Chickpeas are a nutrient and fiber-rich addition even with the meatballs in the soup.
Lebanese Kousa Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 medium Lebanese kousa, or green or yellow zucchini
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 48 oz. tomato juice
- 2-4 cups water
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup labneh, for serving
- 10 leaves fresh spearmint, finely chopped, for serving
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound lean ground beef or lamb
- 1/4 cup fine bulgur
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mint salt or crushed dried mint
Instructions
- In a large, heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stir to combine, then saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Cut the koosa into small wedges. Trim the squash by cutting off the ends. Cut the squash lengthwise into quarters, then cut into 1/2-inch wedges. Add the koosa, garlic, cinnamon, and rice to the pot, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, stir, and cook just until the koosa is softened, another 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato juice and 2 cups of water, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt, increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the little meatballs. In a medium bowl, combine the beef or lamb, bulgur, garlic, cinnamon, salt, and mint. Shape the meat into small, 1-inch meatballs (makes about 50 meatballs).
- Add the meatballs to the pot, increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining teaspoon of salt and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve in warmed soup bowls, with a dusting of the chopped mint and a dollop of labneh on top of each.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Lebanese Soup Recipes to try:
A hearty, high-protein and high fiber favorite is my Lebanese Lentil Soup, Rushta.
Lebanese Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas and Kale
Easy and hearty. My family loved it! The cinnamon and dusting of mint add so much – thanks for another delicious recipe, Maureen!
Mmm, thank you Jodi!
Sounds great
Thank you Basil!
Omg! Why have I not thought of this before?! I make yekhni Batata all the time and sometimes substitute half of the potatoes with cousa! My kids will not eat cousa mehshi but I bet they will eat this especially with little meatballs in it! Thanks so much for the idea! Although I think I’ll stick with tomato paste instead of the sauce, there’s just something about that thick dark red tomato paste from Greece or Turkey that I’m obsessed with!
Zenah thank you! I hope they gobble it up!!
Maureen, I am surprised it’s taken you this long to realize that koosa is easily made into soup. You don’t have to make meatballs either for simplicity, just brown the meat. Delicious!
You sure don’t need to make the meatballs! We do love them though. Thanks Shaheen.
Hi Cousin,
I love this Koosa Soup recipe! It would’ve been right up Uncle Dick’s alley, hot and steaming! I recently made it for a Soup-a-Thon party and everyone raved about it. My mom and brother enjoyed it too and had one suggestion. While they liked the meatballs they wanted to have meat in every bite, just as you would with traditional Koosa. So I made it again, this time browning the meat with the onions, celery and all the seasonings first (omitting the bulgur). Then I added the liquids, koosa and rice. It’s just as delicious and easy to make. It’s a little thicker than a brothy soup, like a Lebanese chili. We like it that way with the labneh and pita bread to scoop up bites. Thank you for another yummy soup recipe!
Thank you cousin!! I love the chili-style idea, thank you for sharing and can’t wait to try it!
Hi Maureen—I made this soup last evening and it was tasty but it was quite thick even though I read the comment above and kept it covered. Just wondering if the rice can be cooked separately and added to each bowl as needed or will that affect the taste/texture of the soup? When I prepare other soups, I cook and store any noodle, rice, barley or other grain separately so that it doesn’t continue to soak up the broth. Any thoughts?
Rosie I love your idea of keeping the rice separate until serving. That shouldn’t affect the flavor. I add lots of liquid (water or chicken broth) to keep my soup loose. I like your idea and will try it!
Hi Maureen, I’m making this as we speak! Just a quick question – while the rice is cooking in the soup and later after you add the meatballs, do you cover the pot? The soup is VERY thick. I’m wondering if I should have covered the pot to keep in more of the liquid. Thanks!
Hi Sue, it doesn’t hurt the soup to remain uncovered but covering can help with keeping liquid levels up. Add at least another cup of liquid if it’s looking thick, and that can be water or broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable). The soup will thicken too if chilled then reheated, so just keep adding more liquid to make it as soupy as you’d like and be sure to adjust seasonings as you add liquid.
Amazing!!! I’m Lebanese and grew up on this, my dad would make all the time. This is so good! Will definitely be making again soon. Thank you.
GREAT!
This is wonderful! I got the email with this recipe earlier this week. I am a huge fan of soups during our Colorado winters, and this soup does NOT disappoint! We live in a small mountain town where specialty ingredients are scarce, so of course I could not find the koosa and had to substitute. I used 1 zucchini and 1 yellow zucchini squash. Lamb is SO incredibly expensive here, I paid $18.99 for 1 lb of lamb but well worth it in my opinion! Both my husband & I loved this recipe, unfortunately our children did not—their loss!! I will be making this one again and again. Thank you!!!
LOVE hearing that Kristin! The kids will come around…!
Do you soak the bulgur before adding to the meat?
Janet no, just add the bulgur dry and it will do its thing when cooked in the meatballs in the soup.
Hi Maureen, You got me excited with this Koosa soup. I have never heard of this before and it is a brilliant idea. I am having a dinner party this weekend and I will certainly try it and will let you know the outcome.
I have to tell you that your book has been a great buy and has given me so many ideas long forgotten, being in London.
So thank you for your time and knowledge
Oscar
Oscar thank you! Love to hear how you like it this soup. Such a nice dish for friends!