Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

Made with a cheesy cream sauce, this chicken Florentine casserole with farfalle pasta and veggies makes good use of leftover chicken.

Ingredients

6 ounces farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1 1/2 heads broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, or more to taste, minced
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Italian cheese blend
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk, or more to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for 2 more minutes; pasta will be slightly undercooked.
3 While the pasta is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat; stir in onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
4 Drain pasta and broccoli. Run under cold water and drain again. Add to the onion mixture along with spinach, cooked chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and Italian cheese.
5 Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until bubbly. Slowly whisk in flour; cook and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly. Add enough milk to thin the sauce enough so it will coat all ingredients in the bowl; it will thicken more in the oven.
6 Pour sauce into the bowl and mix until well combined. Transfer contents to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.
7 Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until hot and bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes.