The Painted Apron

Apparently Calamity Jane had so much fun with us this summer she told her cousin, Wendy Waterfall, to pay us a visit…

The Waterworks called Sunday afternoon to tell my husband that the water line from his office building burst and water was flowing happily down the street over a mile away.

Yikes!! $$$$$$$

The plumber said it would take several days to fix, and he’d have to tear up the driveway, and run a whole new line. $$$$$$$

HH has to close his office for at least 3 days…which means he will be home all week…

I needed some serious comforting

A lot of comforting~

A little pasta with chicken, ham, a creamy Parmesan sauce, spinach and artichokes is bound to make this situation easier to swallow!

Are you starting to feel better?

After a couple of bites, I totally forgot about the plumbers bill, the water bill, the fact that Super Boy has had the flu for 5 days and has been here most of the time, that my husband is going to be home until Jan 6…BUT!

I did get a flu shot today, better late than never, and it is the holidays, and I am so so lucky and grateful for all my blessings… AND

I’m full of yummy pasta!  This is kinda like spinach artichoke dip meets chicken~and ham~ and alfredo~ and you will be ever so glad!

You can vary this recipe in so many ways:

Use just one meat or poultry, like leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken

Substitute bacon or prosciutto for ham

Eliminate the meat altogether

Eliminate the pasta and serve this over a baked potato.

Instead of creamed spinach use mixed vegetables, or asparagus and mushrooms, whatever you like and add a little cream cheese or cream

Substitute a can of cream soup or a white sauce for the Alfredo sauce

…………………………………….

Here’s my recipe:

CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH SPINACH AND ARTICHOKES  for a printable version click here

6-8 boneless chicken tenders, or 2-3 boneless breasts

4-6 oz deli ham, optional

1 medium onion, diced

1 box Stouffer’s frozen Creamed Spinach, defrosted

1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 tub of Buitoni Light Alfredo sauce, about 1/2 cup

4 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

8 oz. tubular pasta such as penne or ziti

salt and pepper

olive oil

1 T butter

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs for topping [optional]

Saute onion in butter and a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat until transparent.  Push the onion to the side of the skillet, increase heat to medium high and add chicken tenders. Saute chicken 2-3 minutes a side until starting to brown.  Remove chicken and chop into bite sized pieces.  Return chicken to skillet and add ham.  Give it a few stirs until it begins to brown.  Add artichokes and stir.  Pour defrosted spinach into skillet, stir and add salt and pepper to taste.  Top with half the Parmesan and set aside.  Cook pasta until just done.  Drain the pasta and put it into a sprayed 8″ x 8″ deep casserole dish.  Microwave Alfredo sauce for 1 minute on high.  Pour 1/2 of container [or however much you want!] over hot pasta.  Add 1/2 of remaining cheese and toss to coat noodles with sauce.  Transfer chicken and vegetables to casserole placing on top of pasta.  Stir gently to combine.  Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.  At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated overnight.  Uncover and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until bubbling and heated through.  Serves 6

Thanks for visiting, I hope this casserole idea helps your holiday season be a little more stress free!

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I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:

Clean and Sensible

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

Easy Life

Foodie Friday

Jenny Evolution

Love Bakes Good Cakes

Will Cook for Smiles