Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

OK....tonight is a night to try yet another new dish. Tonight's experimental dish is Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake. I will let you know how it goes....it's almost ready to come out of the oven.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE ARTICHOKE BAKE

8 oz dried bow tie pasta

1 small onion, chopped

1 TBSP butter

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz)

1 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

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

1/2 tsp paprika

1 TBSP butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. In a small skillet cook onion in 1 TBSP butter over medium heat for approximatey 5 miutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Removed from heat and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, salt, dried Italian seasoning, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Stir in chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. Transfer to a 13x9x2" baking dish or 3 quart rectangular casserole dish. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. In small bowl combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over mixture. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden. Makes 6-8 servings.

UPDATE: This was another hit! DH had 2 helpings and my MIL ate it up (after picking out the spinach bits lol). I used quite a bit more chicken than 2 cups - I bought a rotisserie chicken and cut that up, as well as used the leftover chicken breasts from the Baked Excelsior Chicken dish I made the other day. I also used 12 oz of quartered & marinated artichoke hearts instead of the canned plain artichokes - I LOVE the flavor of the marinated hearts. Let me see what else I changed...oh, I forgot the Italian seasoning - and didn't miss it lol; I also probably used closer to 3/4 cup of dried tomatoes, and I added an extra egg and about another 1/4 cup milk since I had so much more chicken then the recipe called for. Oh, and I forgot to cover it so it baked uncovered and didn't seem any worse for the wear.