Peppery Zucchini Pasta - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 pepperoncini peppers, minced (from a jar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
8 ounces whole wheat penne
1 large zucchini, shredded
2 ounces reduced-fat goat cheese, crumbled (1/3 cup)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or grape tomatoes)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Preparation

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, pepperoncini, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes to flavor the oil. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserving 2 tablespoons of pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta.
Add pasta, reserved pasta cooking liquid, zucchini, cheese, tomatoes, and basil to skillet; toss to combine. Cook over medium heat until pasta is just heated through and cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional pepper to taste and serve warm.