Chicken Artichoke Pasta

True to form, I made my recipe-blogging comeback a few days ago by posting something sweet-- namely the Carolina Coffee Cake.  Now,  for anyone wanting a simply delicious, mouth-watering main dish, I share this Chicken Artichoke Pasta.  

I think marinated artichoke hearts are truly delectable.  Honestly, I could eat a whole jar of them myself--

That is, I could if I were able keep my children out of them while I attempted to do so.  That would only happen if I sneaked off to a closet somewhere quietly, which I'd never pull off.  For real.  We're seriously addicted.  I put them in salads, usually.  But they are great in many dishes.   I buy them at Aldi and they aren't terribly expensive there.  Wow, I could take a significant rabbit trail right here...

Do you love Aldi?  Oh my goodness.  I love that store for so many reasons.  OK, I'll just chase this rabbit for a minute.  First of all, they have top quality food.  Their prices are the lowest in town.  I can park nearly at the door.  I waste absolutely NO steps, which for me is a major plus.  I would rather clean toilets than go grocery shopping.  So for me, easy in/easy out is paramount.  

There is a slight learning curve involved in shopping at Aldi.  When they moved to my town a couple years ago, I did a little research and learned a lot about shopping there.  You need to know what they carry and what they don't.  Basically they have studied the market and stock the several thousand items most shoppers buy, typically only one type of each product, mostly carrying their own label. They search the world over to find the best products and the lowest prices and pass the savings on to you.   You get to bag your own groceries, and you have to pay with cash or a debit card.  No coupons, so don't worry about getting caught behind the Coupon Queen with her fist full of magazine clippings.  The fact that you "rent" the cart for 25 cents means that the carts are returned to the store and Aldi isn't paying attendants to retrieve them.  Neither are the carts being destroyed by the elements or banging into cars in the parking lot.  All these reasons, and the very small real estate foot print, add up to big savings for the shopper.  

Oh, and if you ever don't like something you have bought there, which has happened to me about twice, you just return it and they give you a refund and replace the product with something similar.  A 200% guarantee.  Works for me.

Sorry...back to the topic at hand.  My family loves this casserole, which bakes up quickly in a 400 degree oven in just 30 minutes.  I'm not going to pull any punches...this baby is loaded with fat and calories...lots of cheese, cream soup, and sour cream.  So you're going to probably want to pair it with a massive salad, like I do.  Just have a heaping pile of greens and a small portion of this casserole if you're watching your waistline.  Not digging in for seconds will be a real challenge, I'm just warning you.

I substituted elbows for the bow ties because I roll with what I have in my pantry.  Undoubtedly, the bow ties would make a better presentation, so I'd use those if I were preparing this dish for company.  Served with a spinach salad and bread sticks, I had some very happy diners at my table!

Chicken Artichoke Pasta

• 3 cups cooked diced chicken
• 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, cut up
• 1 teaspoon minced dried onions
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
• 1 (10 1/4 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 sour cream
• 1 13oz. can evaporated milk (or whole milk)
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 12oz. package bow tie pasta, cooked 
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients reserving 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and 1 cup cheddar cheese.  Place in a greased 9X13-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle parmesan and cheddar cheese over the top.  Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until hot and bubbly.  Garnish with paprika and parsley if desired.  Makes 8-10 servings.

Love,