Ground Beef Zucchini Rice Casserole
This ground beef zucchini rice casserole is a delicious stovetop one-pot recipe made with ground beef, sliced squash, garlicky onion tomato base, and rice.
This recipe is inspired by a famous Lebanese stuffed squash recipe called mahshi kousa. Instead of coring the squash and stuffing it with rice and minced meat (like mahshi kousa), this recipe cooks everything together in one pot. This well-balanced stovetop rice dish has vegetables, protein, rice, and tons of flavor.
Ingredient Notes
- Minced ground beef: I prefer semi-lean ground beef for this recipe (85% to 90% lean). Ground lamb is a suitable alternative.
- Rice: Any type of rice will do for this recipe, however, I prefer to use medium-grain rice like Jasmine rice.
- Lebanese seven spices or allspice: Lebanese seven spices is a mixture of seven spices mixed together (black pepper, white pepper, allspice, ground clove, nutmeg, cumin, and cinnamon). It's commonly used in Lebanese and Middle Eastern cooking (chicken shawarma, kibbeh, etc). You can find it on Amazon, in a Middle Eastern grocery store, or make Lebanese seven spice at home yourself. If you don't have any on hand, substitute ground allspice or ground cinnamon.
Calabaza Squash (Kousa): Kousa means squash in Arabic, but it means a particular type of squash. Kousa squash is the same as calabacitas squash (I've also seen it called calabaza squash or Mexican squash). It's small in size with yellow and green coloring. If you can't find this particular type of squash at your grocery store, you can use two substitutes: large green zucchini or baby green zucchini.
How To Make Beef Zucchini Rice
Chop the onions and garlic. Slice the ends off of the squash. Chop the squash into circles.
In a nonstick pot, add the olive oil on high heat.
Add the chopped onions and garlic to the olive oil.
Caramelize the onions and garlic on medium-high heat for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the minced meat (ground beef or ground lamb).
Brown the beef and break up the clumps. Add the salt, pepper, and Lebanese 7 spice to the ground meat. Mix well.
Add the sliced squash.
Then, add the canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and water.
Mix everything together well.
Cook on medium-high heat covered with a lid for about 25 minutes or until the squash starts to tear apart.
Add the rice.
Add an additional cup of water and mix. Turn the stovetop down to low heat.
Cover the pot and cook for about 30 minutes until the rice is tender.
Check halfway through and stir. Serve with some lemon and cucumber mint yogurt.
Tips and Tricks
The two main tips for this squash and rice casserole are the stovetop setting and the amount of liquid in the pot. Every stove and pot is different, elevations play a factor, and even the type of rice used can affect things. Therefore, make sure throughout this recipe that there is enough liquid in the pot and that the bottom isn't burning.
I generally stir the squash and rice casserole every 10 to 15 minutes, especially the first two times I made it myself. It can be more hands-off after you have made it a few times.
Variations and Substitutions
- Substitute green zucchini for calabaza squash. If you can't find calabaza squash, green zucchini comes in a close second.
- Use an extra can of diced tomatoes in lieu of tomato paste.
- Substitute ground lamb for ground beef.
📋 Recipe
Ground Beef Zucchini Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 5 cups sliced squash Calabaza, calabacitas, or Mexican squash** see note 1
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 lb minced ground beef or ground lamb
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 14.5 ounces can of diced tomatoes
- 6 ounces can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Lebanese 7 spices or ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- 5 cups water or chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the garlic and onions to the same size. Slice the ends off of the squash. Slice the squash into thin circles.
- In a nonstick large pot on high heat, add the olive oil. Once it starts to heat up, add the chopped onions and garlic. Sautee until starting to brown.
- Add the minced meat to the sauteed onions. Break apart any clumps and cook until browned (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the ground 7 spice, salt, and pepper.
- Turn the heat down slightly to medium-high heat. Add the sliced squash, canned diced tomatoes, canned tomato paste, and the water. Mix everything together. Cover and simmer on medium-high heat for about 25 minutes or until the kousa squash starts to break apart.
- Add the rice. Mix well. Cover and cook on very low heat for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Mix at the halfway mark again so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Add water if needed (maybe ½ a cup or cup).
Notes
- Substitute zucchini squash for kousa squash. Due to size differences, slice 5 cups of zucchini for an equal parts substitute.
- Storage: Store this squash and rice casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. This recipe is also freezer-friendly, just store the rice casserole in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months.
Hi Lily, I am of Lebanese decent and I make Kousa often but usually either clean out the squash or cut them in half stuff them but this recipe seems so much easier with all the same ingredients. I am excited to try it this way soon.
Hi Brenda! Thanks for the comment. It’s a really great one pot meal that tastes like mahshi kousa. Let us know how it turns out for you
Hi Lily, I am so excited to tell you how delicious the one pot Kousa came out. It's SO much easier and quicker than stuffing them. My family loved it and it's definitely one meal I'll be making often...thank you
Thank you for taking the time to comment Brenda 🫶. It’s one of the only ways my daughter Amina will each squash lol
Love this recipe! Thanks for posting!
Thanks Mom haha
Super easy recipe and extremely yummy! Ended up using fresh tomatoes from the garden and it worked out well. Perfect weeknight dinner!
Thank you so much for the comment Mabel! So glad you liked the recipe and the substitution sounds delicious!
This dish is delicious. I wish I had some naan or pitas to scoop with. Excellent.
Thank you so much for the comment! This is one of my daughter's favorite dishes.
I love a hearty dish like this that can feed an army. My family is full of big eaters, so this is perfect!
Thanks for the comment!
I love that this dish is freezer friendly! Make it easy for a busy night.
Absolutely great for a busy night!
This is a great way to use up zucchini from the garden. We always have way too much and I'm never sure what to do with it all!
Yes, what an excellent way to use zucchini!
This is one of my family's favorite weeknight dinners. It's easy for me to throw together, and the flavor is incredible!
Thanks for the comment Tayler!
Made this over the weekend and used ground lamb. It was so delicious! Love this hack.