Classic Pot Roast
This Classic Pot Roast is the perfect comfort food. Tender braised melt-in-your-mouth beef, creamy potatoes, and carrots, with a rich velvety broth.
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Why You’ll Love This
- Pot roast is the ultimate comfort food. Childhood memories come rolling back with each bite. Perfect for a warming meal on cold nights.
- Slow braising the beef results in melt-in-your-mouth tender, juicy meat.
- While it takes time to cook, pot roast is simple to prepare with minimal hands-on time. It’s also a one pot dish making cleanup easier.
- It’s budget friendly. Pot roast typically uses affordable cuts of meat. It’s great for feeding the family or a dinner party.
- The combination of beef, vegetables, and aromatic herbs in this classic pot roast recipe creates a rich and savory dish that is so satisfying.
Some of our other favorite Comfort Meal recipes to make are Easy Meatloaf Recipe, One Pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables, Creamy Potato Corn Chowder, Spicy Shrimp and Cajun Polenta, Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy, and Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
How to Make Classic Pot Roast in the Oven
What to Serve with Pot Roast
Beef, Yukon Gold potatoes, and carrots perfectly cooked together this easy pot roast recipe makes a great meal own its own! But you can add some Homemade Crescent Rolls, Garlic Bread, Sweet Potato Biscuits, and Arugula Fennel Salad or Green Beans.
It’s also really good served over mashed potatoes.
Tips
- If you don’t mind softer potatoes and carrots you can add them in the beginning and let them cook the entire time with the pot roast.
- Choose a roast with good marbling. This adds tons of mouth-watering flavor.
- We prefer the onions to be cut larger but you can dice them if preferred.
- Baby potatoes work best for this type of slow cooking. Russett potatoes tend to fall apart but are still very tasty.
- Cut the carrots into large equal-sized pieces so they cook evenly and don’t fall apart.
- Fresh herbs are best but you can use 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme.
- I use reduced sodium broths so that I can control the salt level. If you are using regular beef broth reduce the salt on the meat to 1/2 teaspoon, and season the sauce to taste.
- Don’t rush the cooking time! If the roast is not fall apart tender within 3 hours of cooking, keep cooking until it falls apart.
Variations
While we think this is the best pot roast recipe with potatoes and carrots. You can try using parsnips, turnips, or rutabagas.
Not a fan of thyme? Substitute with fresh rosemary.
FAQs
The best cuts of beef for pot roast include chuck roast, rump roast, and brisket. These cuts have the right amount of fat and tough connective tissue, which break down during the slow cooking process, resulting in a tender and flavorful pot roast.
Beef Chuck – Our favorite! This is the shoulder and has the right amount of fat and connective tissue, that breaks down during the slow cooking process, resulting in a tender and flavorful pot roast.
Botton Round, Shoulder Roast, Rump Roast – Also well marbled and will result in juicy and tender roast beef.
Round Roast – Not one we would use because it is very lean and you have to be very careful not to overcook it and dry it out.
Brisket – A notoriously tough cut of meat, and slow cooking breaks it down, releasing its natural flavor and making it fall apart tender.
Brown the chuck roast, and transfer it to the slow cooker crock. Follow the instructions for the sauce, place everything in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 5-6 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender. (low setting is best)
It’s done when it breaks apart easily with a fork. The internal temperature should be between 190-200 degrees F.
If you prefer a thicker gravy over wine sauce remove the meat and vegetables to a platter, and tent them loosely with aluminum foil. Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour with 2 tablespoons of cold water, and stir into the liquid in the pot. Bring to a boil on the stovetop and whisk until it starts to thicken.
Let the pot roast cool completely, place it in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To freeze leftover pot roast allow it to cool completely. Place it in a freezer safe, airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
The pot roast needs to be reheated slowly so it doesn’t dry out. The oven is not the best reheating option, it tends to dry it out.
You can reheat it on the stovetop. Add some beef broth to a pot over low to medium heat, place the pot roast in the pot and warm gently for 10 to 15 minutes, when most of the broth is absorbed by the meat you can add the vegetables, cover the pot, and heat for another 5 to 10 minutes or until warmed through.
You can reheat it in a slow cooker. Place the leftover pot roast in a slow cooker, add the liquids from cooking, and a little more beef broth if necessary to cover. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours until warmed through. If it’s already shredded or in smaller chunks it may only take 1 to 2 hours.
More Beef Recipes
Classic Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb Chuck roast
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 2-4 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Red wine
- 2 cups Reduced-sodium beef broth
- 3 sprigs Fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 medium Yellow onion cut into large 2" pieces
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 lbs Small yellow potatoes
- 1 lb Carrots cut into 2" pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Season the beef well on all sides with kosher salt and black pepper.3-4 lb Chuck roast, 1 tsp Kosher salt, 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- In a dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Brown the meat on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the meat to a platter. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for about one minute. Add the flour and cook another minute or two. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan, reduce the wine for about 1 minute.2-4 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tbsp Tomato paste, 2 tbsp All-purpose flour, 1/2 cup Red wine
- Add the beef broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Add the seared beef, onions, and garlic. Cover the pot and cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours.2 cups Reduced-sodium beef broth, 3 sprigs Fresh thyme, 2 Bay leaves, 1 medium Yellow onion, 4 cloves Garlic
- Add the potatoes and carrots tucking them around the roast (it's ok if they all don't fit under the sauce in the pan they will still cook) and cook for another 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours until roast and vegetables are fork tender.2 lbs Small yellow potatoes, 1 lb Carrots
- Season to taste with additonal salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems and serve the beef shredded or in chunks.