Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake

I can't believe the holidays are over and it's 2009 already. Back to my regularly scheduled program of trying new dishes on the weekends. I starred this recipe in my google reader from Crista's Kitchen Creations last month and I'm happy I finally got to make it. I'm a big fan of the one-dish meal and this had everything I love in it--spinach, pasta, artichokes, chicken, cheese... how can you not love that. Well, it was delicious and the family loved it and there are plenty of leftovers for lunch this week. The only changed I make was I added about 6 sliced baby bella mushrooms to the mix because I really love mushrooms too. Great find Crista, thanks!














Here's the original recipe with my changes in red.

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

8 oz. dried bow tie pasta (I used 12 oz.)

1 small onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. butter (used 1 TBSP olive oil)

2 eggs

1-1/4 cups milk

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning (mixed in with the cooked chicken)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz.)

14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (omitted)
6-8 sliced baby bella mushrooms

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (Panko)

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In medium skillet cook the chicken and onion in the olive oil along with the italian seasoning over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms toward the end when the chicken is almost cooked through. Remove from heat; set aside.
In bowl whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir in chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, mushrooms, half of the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. Transfer to 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
Bake, covered, 20 minutes. In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden. Makes 6 to 8 servings.