Make this easy and delicious old fashioned pot roast for a hearty family dinner. Ready in just a couple of hours and with an easy pan gravy, this roast is fork tender and so good! Enjoy alongside tender baby potatoes and carrots, or atop buttered egg noodles. This pot roast dinner will be a new family fave.
My mom always made pot roast when I was growing up, and so this meal has such fond memories for me. The recipe I’m sharing today is my mom’s, but I did add a couple of new ingredients to enhance the flavors. While this family favorite is often enjoyed for Sunday dinner, this easy pot roast recipe is so simple you can make it any night of the week. It is definitely a favorite comfort food recipe, alongside my slow cooker top round roast or slow cooker tri-tip.
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Why this recipe works
- Easy recipe requiring little prep and minimal ingredients
- Cooks in one pot for easy clean up!
- Full of flavor and makes the most fork tender meat
- Leftovers can be used in a variety of ways, including as taco or quesadilla fillings, or in a red ragu sauce
Ingredients
- Boneless beef chuck roast is the preferred best cut of meat to use. But a rump roast will also work, it just may require a slightly longer cooking time. Cooking times are based off a ~3 pound roast.
- Fresh herbs – rosemary, thyme and a bay leaf
- Beef broth and may also supplement with red wine
- Flour, kosher salt and black pepper
- Medium onion, cut into thick slices.
- Garlic cloves, smashed.
- Red or yellow potatoes and medium carrots, cut into large 2-inch pieces
- Tomato paste & Worcestershire sauce
Easy instructions
Begin by removing the cut of meat from the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking. Season well with salt and pepper, then dredge it in flour. Don’t skip this step as it serves a duel purpose (see note below).
Once you’ve coated the meat in flour, brown meat. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear each side of the beef until it has a nice brown coating. Make sure to get the thick edges of the meat as well. All this searing will really help lock in flavor and give the roast that gorgeous color.
Remove the pot roast from the pan and set aside on a plate. Lower temperature to medium heat and add the sliced onions. Sauté till brown and slightly translucent, making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Add the beef stock (and red wine if using) to the pot, along with the garlic and fresh herbs, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a low simmer, then add the pot roast back to the pot.
Remove from heat, cover and transfer to a 325 degree f oven. Allow to cook for about 1.5 hours. Remove the lid and add in the carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook for another hour or so. Potatoes and carrots should be fork tender and meat should easily pull apart with a fork. Remove from the oven and place on a serving platter.
A note on cooking times
Keep in mind that a rump roast may require 30-60 minutes more of cooking, since it is a leaner, tougher cut of meat. A 3 lb chuck roast should take 3 hours to cook, and a 3 lb rump roast may take closer to 4 hours. If you have a cut of meat that is closer to 4 lbs, it may take up to an hour longer to cook and get a nice tender roast. You should have fork-tender meat when done cooking.
To make a flavorful gravy
If you’d like to make a homemade gravy to serve on top of the roast, remove the meat, carrots and potatoes from the pot. With a slotted spoon, remove any lingering bits of fresh herbs and the bay leaves. Return pot to the top of the stove and set on low heat.
In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1 tablespoon flour and smash them together to create a paste. Add to the pot with all the pan juices and vigorously whisk in. Add another tablespoon or more of flour as needed, and whisk on low temperature until gravy starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add gravy to a bowl and serve all over the beef roast and veggies!
Other recipe tips and tricks
- Swap out standard carrots and potatoes for in-season root vegetables.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- I don’t recommend using baby carrots, as they tend to cook too quickly and will just fall apart or turn to mush.
- Skip the veggies all together and cook the juicy pot roast on its own. Serve with your favorite veggie like green beans, or over delicious buttery egg noodles.
Recipe FAQ’s
When cooking any cut of meat, it’s best to remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. It doesn’t need to come all the way to room temperature, you just want it to not be super cold, as it will cook more evenly.
First, flour is full of starch that will caramelize quickly and give a deeper color and flavor to the meat. Second, the flour will help thicken the pot roast as it cooks.
To make this old fashioned pot roast recipe in a slow cooker or Instant Pot
Brown meat in the inner pot of the Instant pot (on saute function) or a seperate saute pan if cooking in the slow cooker. Remove meat and saute onions. Transfer both to the slow cooker or leave in the Instant Pot and press cancel.
Add remaining ingredients, including potatoes and carrots, to slow cooker or Instant Pot and close lid.
Cook in slow cooker on low for 4-5 hours. Cook in Instant Pot on high for 60 minutes. Allow for a 10 minute natural release, then vent lid and open.
Plate pot roast on a serving platter alongside vegetables.
I hope your family loves this old-fashioned pot roast recipe as much as mine does! The only thing about it we don’t like is how we never seem to have enough leftovers!
Tried this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or rating, letting me know how you enjoyed it! Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest, and never miss a post by signing up for my weekly newsletter!
Old Fashioned Pot Roast with Gravy
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 lb Chuck roast
- 1 medium Onion sliced
- 3 medium Carrots cut into large chunks
- 4 medium Potatoes red or yellow, cut into quarters
- 4 tablespoon flour divided
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 3 cups Beef broth if also using red wine, use 2 cups broth, 1 cup of wine
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by removing the cut of meat from the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking. Season well with salt and pepper, then dredge it in 2 tablespoon of flour.3 lb Chuck roast, 4 tablespoon flour
- Now brown meat. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear each side of the beef until it has a nice brown coating. Make sure to get the thick edges of the meat as well.2 tablespoon oil
- Remove the pot roast from the pan and set aside on a plate. Lower temperature to medium heat and add the sliced onions. Sauté till brown and slightly translucent, making sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.1 medium Onion
- Add the beef stock (and red wine if using) to the pot, along with the garlic and fresh herbs, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a low simmer, then add the pot roast back to the pot.4 garlic cloves, 3 cups Beef broth, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 sprigs of rosemary, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Remove from heat, cover and transfer to a 325 degree f oven. Allow to cook for about 1.5 hours. Remove the lid and add in the carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook for another hour or so. Potatoes and carrots should be fork tender and meat should easily pull apart with a fork. Remove from the oven and place on a serving platter.3 medium Carrots, 4 medium Potatoes
To make the gravy
- Remove the meat, carrots and potatoes from the pot. With a slotted spoon, remove any lingering bits of fresh herbs and the bay leaves. Return pot to the top of the stove and set on low heat.
- In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter and 1 tablespoon flour and smash them together to create a paste. Add to the pot with all the pan juices and vigorously whisk in. Add another tablespoon or more of flour as needed, and whisk on low temperature until gravy starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.2 tablespoon unsalted butter, kosher salt and black pepper to taste
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