Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add pasta. Cook according to directions on bag.

In a separate pan or skillet, add butter and melt over low to medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions begin to become transparent. Add mushrooms and let mushrooms get a little color on each side.

After the mushrooms have become a bit browned, add the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. If onion/mushroom mixture is getting too dry, add a bit more olive oil or butter to pan. After the chicken, tomatoes, and artichokes have been added, pour in cream (don’t use cream straight from the refrigerator as it will curdle once added to the pan) and a healthy amount of pesto and shredded Parmesan cheese. Squeeze the lemon juice into the mix and stir until combined. If sauce is looking too runny, gradually add a few teaspoons of the pasta water to help thicken the sauce. (The pasta water has enough starch to magically transform your sauce. It’s an awesome trick I like to use! It makes me feel so culinary!)

Let sauce cook in skillet for a few minutes and then take off the heat.

Once the pasta has been cooked, drain the pasta and combine the pasta and sauce mixture in the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spray a Pyrex or casserole dish with nonstick spray and add pasta. Top pasta off with more cheese and bake in broiler (medium setting) until the cheese is brown and bubbly.