This is the perfect recipe as the weather here in California is (finally!!!) turning chilly.
But seriously....put this in your slow cooker rotation. You won't be sorry. This is absolutely a company worthy recipe as well. It makes a lot but there are never any leftovers in our house :) But if you did, this would make some killer roast beef sandwiches. I actually caught Lucia licking the bowl. If that isn't a resounding success I don't know what is! So go ahead and add these items to your grocery list. I'll wait.
Look you guys! I actually remembered to take photos while I cooked this one!
Some things to keep in mind about pot roast:
1) Your choice of meat is crucial. You have several options but chuck roast is the best in my opinion. It is a piece of meat that has a lot of connective tissue but fantastic marbling through it. Marbling means flavor, juice and tenderness if you do it right.
2) Don't skimp on the cooking time. Chuck roast is a tough cut of meat so it needs lots of time to break them down and turn them into the melty goodness that it should be. Don't get nervous about the time. If you check it after 8 hours and it's not falling apart when you try to pull it apart with two fork cook it longer! I know it seems counter intuitive but trust me!
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| Even though the slow cooker’s heat distributes fairly evenly, there’s often a hot zone at the bottom or around the sides. Shield your meat from those spots. Use vegetables—onions, especially—to insulate the meat, making a bed of vegetables, then sticking the meat right on top, in the center. Onions work so well as a first layer because they give sweetness to the dish when their juices release. |
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| Tender, beautiful meat! |
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| Also useful for torturing animals. Poor Milo! |
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| Happy Lucia approves of this pot roast! |
Italian Pot Roast
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1 8 ounce package of baby bella mushrooms sliced
1 large yellow onion cut into rings
2 carrots sliced
4-5 fingerling potatoes chopped
1 (3-4 lb) boneless chuck roast
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbs olive oil
1 (1 oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
14 oz beef broth
1 8 ounce can can tomato sauce
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs water
Mashed Potatoes
3 lbs russett potatoes peeled
4 Tbs butter
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
Place mushrooms, onion, carrots, potatoes in a lightly greased 5-6 qt slow cooker.
Sprinkle roast with pepper and rub with garlic. Cook roast in hot oil in a large skillet over medium high heat 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned.
Place roast on top of veggies. Sprinkle onion mix over roast. Pour beef broth and tomato sauce over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
Transfer roast to a cutting board and cut into large chunks removing any large pieces of fat. Keep warm or let your kids eat the meat while you prep the rest like me ;)
Stir in tomato paste and Italian seasoning into your slow cooker. Stir together cornstarch and 2 Tbs water in a small bowl until smooth. Add to juices in the slow cooker, stirring until blended. Increase slow cooker temp to high. Cover and cook 40 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Stir in roast pieces.
While the second cooking is going on with your gravy make your mashed potatoes. This seriously takes the roast to new heights of comfort food. It's your basic mashed potatoes recipe with the addition of sour cream. Chop up your potatoes, cover with cold water and add salt. Cook until they can be pierced easily with a fork transfer to a colander and let them rest for 5 minutes. Put in your mixer with butter, milk, sour cream and some pepper to taste. Mix up some smooth delicious magic. I love the addition of sour cream. The tang really compliments the roast beautifully. Alternatively you could serve over egg noodles and it would be great too!
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