![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hadiaslebanesecuisine.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/laban-2.jpg\" "\\"Kousa")
<\/p>\nKousa Ablama bil Laban could be the ultimate comfort food, a dish that has nourished and sustained generations across Lebanon and the Levant. It offers both deep nourishment and a profound sense of home. The recipe brings together two of my favorite things: tangy cooked yogurt and tender zucchini, or grey squash.<\/p>\n
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Grey squash, or zucchini, is a wonderful candidate for stuffing, just like kousa bil laban, mahshi koussa wa warak enab, mahshi kousa wa batinjan, kousa ablama bil banadoura, and kousa ablama bil laban. These dishes are warming, comforting, and deeply homey staples of Lebanese cooking.<\/p>\n
Kousa ablama bil laban is made with tender grey squash filled with cooked minced meat and gently simmered in a rich yogurt sauce. Unlike kousa bil laban, there is no rice in the filling. My grandmother often made it for special occasions, alongside shish barak and kibbeh bil laban. Making it again brought the memories flooding back\u2014a recipe truly worth keeping alive.<\/p>\n
It is hearty enough to enjoy on its own, but it is also wonderful served with Lebanese rice and vermicelli. Like so many traditional Lebanese dishes, kousa ablama bil laban has long been associated with the comfort and warmth of home.<\/p>\n
![\"laban](\"https:\/\/hadiaslebanesecuisine.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/laban-3.jpg\" "\\"Kousa")
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This recipe starts with grey squash (kousa), which is hollowed out and stuffed with seasoned minced meat and pine nuts. The stuffed zucchini is then pan-fried until lightly browned before being simmered in a creamy yogurt sauce.<\/p>\n
Hollow out the zucchini.<\/strong> Carefully remove the inside of the grey squash, leaving enough flesh around the edges to keep it intact.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Prepare the filling.<\/strong> Cook the minced meat with the seasonings and pine nuts until browned and cooked through.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Stuff the zucchini.<\/strong> Fill each hollowed zucchini with the minced meat and pine-nut mixture.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Pan-fry the zucchini.<\/strong> Fry the stuffed zucchini in shallow oil until lightly browned on all sides.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Prepare the yogurt sauce.<\/strong> Cook the yogurt according to the recipe until smooth and ready for the zucchini.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Simmer the zucchini.<\/strong> Transfer the fried zucchini to the cooked yogurt and simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender and the flavors have come together.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n Grey squash or zucchini:<\/strong> Try to get small-to-medium Lebanese zucchini, no longer than 7 inches (17 cm). Sometimes called Mexican grey squash, its pale green skin is smooth and shiny, making it ideal for kousa ablama bil laban.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Plain yogurt:<\/strong> The foundation of the dish, paired with the zucchini.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Minced beef or lamb:<\/strong> I prefer lamb, but beef is commonly used as well.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Garlic:<\/strong> Adds a rich, savory depth to the dish.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Dried mint:<\/strong> Adds a concentrated, earthy, and mellow herbal flavor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Onion:<\/strong> Ideal for building rich flavor when cooked with the minced meat.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Cornstarch:<\/strong> Used as the thickening agent.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Salt:<\/strong> Obviously, for flavor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Black pepper:<\/strong> Adds depth of flavor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Water<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n Ghee or sunflower oil:<\/strong> For frying the zucchini.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Use small-to-medium Lebanese zucchini, no longer than 7 inches (17 cm). Sometimes called Mexican grey squash, these zucchini have smooth, shiny, pale-green skin and are ideal for making kousa ablama bil laban<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Go for full-fat yogurt<\/strong>. Please use plain yogurt, not Greek yogurt.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Bring the yogurt to room temperature before putting it on the stovetop.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n You need to increase the yogurt\u2019s stability by adding cornstarch<\/strong>. This is a general rule when making Lebanese cooked-yogurt dishes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Whisk the yogurt mixture continuously in one direction<\/strong> over medium heat until it comes to a gentle boil. This helps ensure a smooth, creamy texture.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Please don\u2019t use non-fat yogurt. While it is still possible to make this dish with non-fat yogurt, full-fat yogurt helps preserve the deep, rich flavor of kousa ablama bil laban<\/strong>. In addition, non-fat yogurt has a higher protein-to-fat ratio, making it more prone to curdling.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Consistency:<\/strong> The yogurt sauce should be moderately thick. If it becomes too thick, add a splash of boiling water to thin it out. The consistency should be slightly thinner than shish barak<\/strong> or kibbeh bil laban<\/strong>, since you\u2019ll be serving it with rice and vermicelli.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Yogurt tends to curdle when heated, so there are two important factors to consider when cooking shish barak<\/strong> or any yogurt-based dish.<\/p>\n First, you need to increase the yogurt\u2019s stability by adding cornstarch<\/strong>. Some versions also add rice to help stabilize and emulsify the yogurt.<\/p>\n Second, it is crucial to whisk the yogurt continuously in one direction<\/strong> until it comes to a boil. This helps prevent the yogurt from separating and curdling, resulting in a smooth and creamy sauce.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hadiaslebanesecuisine.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/laban-6.jpg\" "\\"Kousa")
<\/p>\nWhat You Need to Make Kousa Ablama Bil Laban<\/h2>\n
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Tips fot the Best Meat-Stuffed Zucchini in Yogurt<\/h2>\n
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What Causes the Yogurt to Curdle?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hadiaslebanesecuisine.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/laban-4.jpg\" "\\"Kousa")
<\/p>\n![\"\ud83d\udce9\"](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/17.0.2\/svg\/1f4e9.svg\")
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