Chicken Artichoke Pasta

I found a version of this pasta dish online and used some of the key ingredients, but basically made it my own. It was quite delicious and I would definitely recommend to a friend!

Chicken Artichoke Pasta

1 lb. farfalle pasta (I cooked the whole box, but used about 3/4 of it for the dish)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and rough chop
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
about 8 ozs. sundried tomatoes, drained and rough chop
1/2 pint heavy cream
~1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
~1/4 cup shredded pecorino romano cheese
butter
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (for those that love the heat)
Conecuh sausage, sliced diagonal (yes I am from Alabama)
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" chunks
salt and pepper to taste

I started with prepping the meat. Brown the sliced meat in a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 7-10 minutes or so until chicken is slightly done. (It will cook more later). Turn off the heat (or turn to really low).

Next, salt your pasta water and boil the farfalle until just al dente. Usually about 10 minutes. Drain and splash with cold water. Return the drained pasta to the pasta pot.

Switch back to your meat skillet. Add about 3 pats of butter and the mushrooms. (Throw in more salt and pepper if you want.) Cook until the mushrooms are tender and slightly browned over medium-low heat. Turn this off. Add the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and meat/mushroom mixture into the pasta pot and stir. At this point I splashed a little chicken broth over it to combine. I also set the pot over very low heat.

Next heat a small pot over medium-high heat and add heavy cream, cheeses, about 4 pats of butter and cayenne pepper. Cook until butter and cheeses are melted and everything is combined. Pour this mixture over the entire pasta dish and mix. Allow the flavors to blend for maybe 5-10 minutes over the low heat. Serve up and enjoy!!

Notes: You could substitute just about any meat you prefer. You could do all chicken or all sausage, etc. I chose the combo and it was great! You could also probably sub any cheeses that you like. I just used what I had on hand.