Stuffed Zucchini in Slow Cooker

Begin by carefully extracting the pulp from halved zucchinis, leaving behind their delicate shells with a remaining thickness of roughly 1/8 inch. You can either set the zucchini pulp aside for another use or discard it.

Next, combine diced tomatoes with 1/4 cup of olive oil in a food processor along with minced garlic, dried Italian herb seasoning, sugar, salt, black pepper, and chopped basil leaves. Process the mixture until it's well combined, taking about 1 minute to achieve this.

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent and slightly softened, approximately 5 minutes. Introduce the sausage into the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until it's nicely browned and crumbly, roughly 10 minutes. Add the tomato mixture to the skillet and heat it until it starts simmering, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, arrange the zucchini shells at the bottom of a large slow cooker. If necessary, trim them to fit snugly within the cooker. Spoon the sausage mixture into each zucchini shell, covering it with a lid to seal.

Place the slow cooker in High mode and cook for approximately 6 hours, or until the zucchini is tender. Remove the lid and sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese over each stuffed zucchini shell. Replace the lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

At this point, your zucchini stuffed with sausage and mozzarella is ready to be served.