Fall-Inspired Roasted Garlic Alfredo Rice with roasted butternut squash, chard, leeks and more! Celebrating fall produce right from my local farmers market!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Knorr Selects.
Fall is one of my favorite seasons because of the produce; pumpkins, squash, leeks, thick leafy greens, I love it all! Here in Madison, Wisconsin, we have the Dane County Farmers’ Market, which is the nation’s largest producers-only farmers’ market! It’s held from April to November on Saturday mornings on the Capitol Square. During the summer, my family and I love to go to the farmers market together and walk around, grab some cheese bread, fresh produce and some beautiful, local flowers.
Initially, our farmers market was a little overwhelming because it’s so large and there are so many farm stands, but soon, I got my groove and learned how to navigate! Here are my tips on how to shop a farmers market:
- Go early! If you’re there to shop, get there early so you can have plenty to choose from. If you go later in the afternoon, it might be harder to snag those golden beets you wanted.
- Know what’s in season. You’re at a farmers market so everything will be fresh and local. Cooking with produce that’s in season will taste better and be more affordable.
- Get to know your farmers! Every farm will have someone who works there standing behind the table. Ask questions: how they grow their produce, what they are cooking and ask for recipe ideas if you need some. If you don’t know what something is, just ask! The farmers market is a great place to learn more about produce and what’s in season.
- Try something new! The farmers market is definitely the place where you will see produce that you’ve never seen or tasted before. Ask for recipe ideas and try something new!
October 12th is National Farmer’s Day! I encourage you to get out there and visit your local farmers market! Or, if you belong to a local CSA, thank your farmers for all of the hard work they do! It’s because of their work that we are able to enjoy such great tasting produce! Once you’ve nailed down your farmer’s market shopping, it’s time to decide what you’ll cook! Knorr Selects are a great solution for when you have fresh produce and need inspiration to make a complete meal. Knorr Selects are made with wholesome ingredients and the brand works with farmers in Arkansas where the rice is sustainably sourced.
Dinner Made Easy with NEW Knorr Selects!
I loved that I was able to use the produce I picked up from my farmers market in this dish! The roasted butternut squash and leeks and chard added great flavor to our meal! I hope you give this recipe a try!
Make-Ahead
To save some time, you can prep and cut all of the vegetables the night before and keep them in your refrigerator. You can also roast the butternut squash the night before if you need to. Then, when you’re ready to make dinner, everything is prepped and ready to go and dinner will be on the table fast! You can’t beat that!
Knorr Selects are available at all major retailers and grocery stores. Find out more about Knorr Selects on 
Fall Inspired Roasted Garlic Alfredo Rice with Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 large leeks; white part only diced
- 1 bunch Swiss chard chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 package Knorr Selects Roasted Garlic Alfredo Rice
- 2 cups Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock
- 2 cups roasted butternut squash diced
- Grilled chicken diced or cubed
Instructions
- Using a large sauté pan over medium high heat, heat the olive oil and add the leeks and sauté for a few minutes. Add the chard and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- In the same pan, pour in the Knorr Selects Roasted Garlic Alfredo Rice, the chicken stock and stir together. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and boil, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, while stirring frequently until your rice is tender and the sauce is creamy. You can also skip the stock and follow the preparation instructions on the back of the pack, which call for water and milk.
- Within the last 5 minutes of cooking, add in the cooked, roasted butternut squash and grilled chicken (if desired) and mix together with the rice.
- Turn off the heat. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve and enjoy!
Meals like this are why I love Fall so much. This looks amazing and so easy to make!
We have become huge fans of Knorr Selects and I love what you created here!
I absolutely love the add ins you’ve chosen for this rice dish Alice. We’re big Knorr’s fans at our house too.
All those flavors! I love it. Fall inspired indeed. and that farmers market looks fun!
I LOVE this fall garlic alfredo!!!!
This is a beautiful meal my family will love!
Yummy! I haven’t bought one of those lil pouches in a while but they’re so good! Thanks for the inspiration and reminder!
I love this, what a great dinner idea!
This looks like such a delicious and healthy fall dinner idea – definitely adding it to my dinner rotation this week! And the fact that it can be prepped in advance is a big win too!
I am soooo jealous of your incredible-looking farmer’s market – the pictures of the fresh produce are just beautiful. I have to travel over an hour to get to my nearest farmer’s market, but next time I do I will most definitely be using your tips, as I always end up more confused than lucrative when I do visit. I like the idea about asking for recipes – definitely going to do that!
One question about the recipe: if I can’t get my hands on swiss chard, what would you recommend as a substitute? Kale, perhaps?
Hi Shannon, yes I love our farmer’s market! and yes, kale would be a lovely substitute! Thank you for the visit and I hope you enjoy!