Melinda’s Freakin’ Good Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package fettuccine noodles
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 zucchini, shredded
• 5 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 (4 ounce) log goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, or to taste

Directions

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the fettuccine, bring back to a boil, and cook pasta over medium heat until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain water, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Melt butter in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat; add zucchini, 3 cloves minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir zucchini mixture in the melted butter until most of the moisture has evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes, remaining 2 cloves minced garlic, salt, and pepper to onion; cook and stir, crushing tomatoes to desired consistency, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Mix fettuccine and zucchini mixture into onion mixture, adding as much reserved pasta water to keep pasta moist. Stir goat cheese and basil into pasta mixture.