This Slow Cooker Pot Roast is ready when you are, providing your family with a delicious and satisfying meal!
The slow cooker is a busy mom’s best friend. It allows you to “fix it and forget it” by adding the ingredients, setting the timer, and letting the machine do its magic. Then, when it’s finished cooking, you have a hearty, delicious meal to please everyone in your family. That’s what you get with this slow cooker pot roast – a whole meal all in one!
Pot roast is often thought of as a meal served for special occasions. It doesn’t need to be that way. You can serve this any time of the year, whenever the mood strikes, as preparing it in a slow cooker simplifies your life. It is also hard to ruin, so even a novice cook can make a shining meal.
To Gravy or Not to Gravy – That Is the Question
Perhaps the most frequently asked question about making a pot roast is whether or not to create a brown gravy. Here’s the thing: no matter what you do, there will be gravy once the roast is done cooking. The difference is whether it is a thicker gravy or a thinner one. I can’t say which way I prefer because it tastes great either way. However, if you want a thick gravy, you can do one of the following two things:
- Mix 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, gluten-free flour, arrowroot, or tapioca starch with 1/2 cup of beef broth before adding it to the slow cooker. That will help your gravy thicken during cooking.
- Or, wait until the pot roast is done cooking, then combine 2 tablespoons of your chosen flour from the list above with 1/4 cup of water. Mix well and then add to the gravy in the slow cooker after you remove your meat and vegetables. Allow the gravy to cook on high for 15 to 30 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency. (You can also combine the gravy and water/flour mixture in a medium saucepan on the stove and cook over medium-high, stirring continuously, until the gravy thickens. This is the quicker method).
Why You Shouldn’t Skip Browning the Meat
When you brown your meat before adding it to the slow cooker, you seal in its natural juices, resulting in a tastier pot roast. This is a short but crucial step in caramelizing the meat, giving the roast a deeper flavor. You then cook the onions and garlic with the delicious brown bits left in the pan. When you follow these steps, pot roast brings layers and layers of flavor to the table.
By layering the vegetables in the recipe’s order, every component cooks properly, imparting unbelievable flavor to your meal. Do not try to save time by setting your slow cooker on high. To get tender, juicy meat, you need to cook on low for 8 hours.
How to Make Ahead and Store
You can easily cook your slow cooker pot roast ahead of time. It stores well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Pot roast always tastes best the next day, so making it a day ahead only helps enhance the flavor. However, don’t be surprised if your family asks for a taste when it is done cooking. It also freezes well for up to 3 months
Serving Suggestions
Although the pot roast contains carrots and potatoes, I still like to serve a green vegetable on the side. Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms is a recipe I highly recommend. A fun, light dessert to serve after pot roast is Banana Pudding Cake. It is the perfect end to a delicious meal. You can make it gluten-free using your favorite GF yellow cake mix and vanilla cookies.
If you have leftover pot roast that you want to turn into something else, I highly recommend using it in Shredded Beef Enchiladas or Shepherd’s Pie. Both recipes use leftover pot roast in their preparation.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 pounds baby potatoes halved
- 3 large carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
- Season the chuck roast generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the roast on all sides.
- Place the browned roast into the slow cooker.
- In the same skillet, sauté onions and garlic until softened.
- Add the sautéed onions and garlic to the slow cooker over the roast.
- Arrange the potatoes and carrots around the roast in the slow cooker.
- Pour beef broth and Worcestershire sauce over the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle dried thyme and rosemary over the top.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the roast is tender and vegetables are cooked through.
- Remove the roast and vegetables from the slow cooker, slice the roast, and serve.
very nice and easy
Glad to hear! Thanks for reading.