Cheesy Chicken, Artichoke, & Spinach Bake

This is the perfect flavorful dish for a warm Spring day.  It is a cinch to make and takes no time at all.  I like to make it early in the day & refrigerate it until dinner time.  Then all I've got to do is pop it in the oven, slice up some bread, get some yummy tomatoes and fresh fruit and dinner is good to go.  This dish is delicious and cheesy, but is also packed with protein and vitamins from the chicken, spinach, and artichokes.  Make it with whole wheat pasta for an even healthier dish.  Here's the DL...

Ingredients
14 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup half & half
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
10 ounces package of frozen spinach (thawed, squeeze out extra moisture), or 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 can artichoke hearts (13.5 ounces), roughly chopped
3 cups chopped cooked chicken

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Cook pasta to al dente.  Rinse with cold water and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, over medium heat melt butter in medium size pan.  Add onion and cook for 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.  Add cream cheese and stir until it is melted in and incorporated.  Reduce heat to low, and add sour cream, half & half, Parmesan cheese,  3/4 cup of the mozzarella, spinach, salt, and pepper.  Stir until everything is incorporated and a thick sauce forms.
In a large bowl combine the artichoke hearts and the chicken.  Pour the sauce over top and gently stir until everything is coated.  Transfer to the prepared baking dish.  Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top.  Enjoy!

Artichoke Dip

I'm going to share with you one of my favorite appetizers- Artichoke Dip.  This dish is one of the reasons I look forward to holidays and company coming over.  I've meshed together a couple of recipes to come up with the perfect dip, but the majority of it comes from a dish a grew up with called Vancouver Dip.  My Mom got the recipe from a church cookbook my Aunt gave her and she makes it on special occasions.  I've added a few things here & there, but not much.  This appetizer is great for any time of year and can feed quite a few folks.  Plus it's super easy and soooooooo good!  Here's the skinny:
Ingredients
1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts
1 1/2 teaspoon dill
1 green onion chopped
dash of salt
dash of pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food process combine Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, cream cheese, half of the can of artichokes, 1 tsp of the dill, green onion, salt, and pepper.  Mix until combined.  Add in the other half of the artichokes & pulse a few times so that it's mixed in but there are still sizable chunks of artichokes in the dip.  Pour into baking dish, I usually use a 9 inch pie plate, and spread it out evenly.  Sprinkle remaining dill on the top and bake for 20-25 minutes (until top is lightly browned & bubbly).  Serve as a spread with thinly sliced baguette or as a dip with pita chips.

This is an appetizer that is sure to please everyone.  You could also bake it in individual remekins and have personal servings for each guest (as pictured above).  And clean up is easy because it only uses one bowl.  If there are left overs you can just heat it up the next day & it's still yummy.