Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake

I think if you read my blog even somewhat regularly, you can see my love for pasta. Lately I have been doing a lot of pasta salads because of the warm weather, but give me a good pasta bake any night and I am a happy camper. :)

This one fit the bill - a cheesy, semi-healthy (because of the spinach, right?), and filling dinner! The chicken melds nicely with all of the veggies, finished off by the cheese sauce...served with a green salad, it's a perfect weeknight dinner.

Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake

adapted from Crista's Kitchen Creations via Jenn and Food, Perfect Together

Makes 6-8 servings

12 ounces farfalle pasta

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

pinch of basil, oregano, parsley

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I use 2 chicken breasts)

2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk

kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, to taste

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

1/4 grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. (Or, use this method to make two separate dishes.)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook pasta as directed, to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-heat. Add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the chicken and herbs and red pepper flakes and cook until heated through. Remove from heat, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken mixture, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, and cooked pasta.

Transfer to prepared baking dish(es). Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. In small bowl, combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta and continue baking, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden.