Classic Pot Roast
The most delicious comfort food of all – Classic Pot Roast! This one-pot recipe is an inviting and uncomplicated family dinner favorite!
If there is a recipe that screams “mouthwatering comfort food!” more than this Classic Pot Roast, I don’t know what it is! With just 10 minutes of prep time, this perfectly seasoned chuck roast with potatoes, onions, and carrots is ready to go in the oven!
The Right Ingredients Matter!
You need the perfect ingredients to make the absolute best pot roast with veggies (sometimes called a Mississippi Pot Roast).
With its deep marbling, Chuck roast is the ideal beef roast for one-pot cooking.
Fresh herbs, like bay leaf and thyme, have a far superior taste to your jar spices.
When it comes to the vegetables for pot roast, the right types do matter. Yellow onions and Russet potatoes are the best options for those rich, delicious, complimentary veggie flavors in the Dutch oven or crock pot.
Other Recipes to Serve with Classic Pot Roast
- Try this Homemade White Bread recipe for serving with the Classic Pot Roast. It’s crazy good with butter or just plain for soaking up that gravy!
- Want a fun idea for pot roast leftovers? With a little tweaking, this 20-Minute Shepherd’s Pie recipe can turn yesterday’s delicious pot roast into today’s scrumptious English-inspired dinner.
Ingredients
Meat: One 3-4 pound chuck roast is the most cost-effective meat for a classic pot roast, though other pricier cuts will also work well.
Veggies: Fresh carrots, Russet potatoes, and yellow onions – all cut into bite-sized pieces – give this classic comfort food the right flavors and textures.
Liquids: This recipe calls for vegetable oil, tomato paste, red wine, and beef broth to melt all the seasonings and give this Dutch oven recipe lots of juicy goodness!
Seasoning: Fresh is best! Garlic, bay leaves, and sprigs of thyme round out the deep, rich flavors of this Sunday pot roast recipe.
How to Make Classic Pot Roast
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the Dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat and add the oil. Salt & pepper the chuck roast, then sear it on all sides for a minute or two until lightly browned.
STEP TWO: Stand the roast upright on its side. Add onions to the pot and sear them until lightly brown. Add in the garlic and tomato paste. Pour the red wine and beef stock over the meat. Add thyme and bay leaves to the liquid. Cover and bring to a simmer. Transfer the Dutch oven from the stove to the oven and cook for 90 minutes.
STEP THREE: After 90 minutes, uncover the pot and add the carrots and potatoes into the liquid. Cover again and cook for another hour.
STEP FOUR: Once fully cooked, transfer the roast to a cutting board and use forks to shred into large chunks. Serve on a platter surrounded by the veggies. Spoon cooking liquids over the roast. Serve warm. Be happy.
Tips for Success
- To up the veggie content of this dinner, turnips, parsnips, peas, or lima beans all make nice additions.
- Red or Yukon gold potatoes will work in a pinch. Their flavor is similar to Russet potatoes, but the final cooked product will have a firmer texture.
- Skin on. Skin off. I like the skin on my potatoes, but you can go either way!
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, this recipe will cook in the crock pot / slow cooker at about the same time.
Can I Make this Classic Pot Roast in an Instant Pot?
You sure can! Season the meat first to make a pot roast in the Instapot (or any pressure cooker). Then sear it on all sides in a skillet or the instant cooker. Turn the cooker on high, place the roast in the bottom, add in all the remaining ingredients, and cook for 60-80 minutes. Release the pressure and wait 10 minutes before shredding the meat and serving.
Can I Freeze a Leftover Pot Roast?
Yes – but the process is a little different than other meals you may have frozen. First, as always, make sure it has cooled down. Second, scoop out the leftover meat and place it in a freezer bag with a little of the liquid. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate freezer baggie. Remove the air from the bags and freeze.
These leftovers will be good for up to 4 months! To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight, then place back in the Dutch oven (or crock pot, pressure cooker, etc.) on low until warmed thoroughly. Enjoy!
Other Roast Beef Recipes
- Roast Beef Horseradish Cheese Baked Sliders
- Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
- Steak and Onion Panini
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast
- Cheesesteak Potato Skins
*This post was originally posted on 10/21/2013.
Classic Pot Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds chuck roast
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth or stock
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups carrots peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks
- 3 medium russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the roast.
- Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sear the chuck roast on all sides for 1-2 minutes until it's nice and browned.
- Stand roast up on its side and add onions to the pot. Sear the onions, allowing them to brown slightly. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Lay the roast on top of the other ingredients in the pot. Pour the red wine and beef broth over the meat. Add the thyme springs and bay leaves to the liquid.
- Cover the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
- Carefully uncover the pot and add the carrots and potatoes into the liquid (as best they'll fit). Cover and place the pot back into the oven to cook for 1 more hour.
- Remove the roast from the pot and transfer it to a cutting board. Use forks to shred the meat into large chunks. Serve the roast on a platter surrounded by the potatoes and carrots. Spoon cooking liquid over the roast. Serve warm.
Can this be made in the crockpot?