This simple pot roast recipe makes the ultimate Sunday night comfort food supper right out of my mother’s kitchen. It’s prepared in the oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot and is fall-apart-tender with a luxurious two-ingredient gravy.

This is how my mother makes pot roast. That’s the one I was raised with. This recipe yielded the most incredibly soft, melt-in-your-mouth pot roast ever; it began on the burner and concluded in the oven while it fragrantly simmered away. I still can’t help but smother the gravy with the additional piece of bread that I promised myself I wouldn’t eat.

This blog doesn’t usually include recipes that call for canned cream of anything, but this one is a wonderful exception. I still don’t understand how condensed cream of mushroom soup and red wine, when cooked together, become the most flavorful, luxurious gravy you’ll ever want to spoon. This simple pot roast recipe is THE BEST lazy cook meal for any given Sunday, with delicate meat, delicious vegetables, and silky gravy.

What’s in THE BEST Pot Roast

To be quite honest, this isn’t my mother’s recipe for pot roast. At least not precisely, anyhow. She never included veggies to her pot roast recipe, so it’s much easier than this one. It was my suggestion. But she’s totally approved now that she’s tasted my. Note: You are also free to omit the veggies.

Additions or replacements of ingredients are most welcome in this recipe because it is so flexible. Along with improving the flavor, adding veggies and herbs to the pot roast during cooking increases the amount of food available when it’s finished. My spouse has made another request, which I also approve of.

Here’s what you’ll need for this pot roast recipe:

3 ½ to 4 ½ lb chuck roast
Mushrooms
Celery
Carrots
Yellow onion
Garlic
Condensed cream of mushroom soup
Red wine (you could also use beef broth or beef stock)
Fresh herbs, like rosemary, bay leaves, or fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil (olive oil would also work)

The Best Beef Meat for Pot Roast

The finest meat for pot roast is usually a well-marbled chuck roast because fat adds flavor. Pick a roasting chuck that has marbling and weighs between 3 and 4 ½ pounds.

To make chuck roasts fall-apart tender, they require longer cooking times. Pot roast is a reward for perseverance! The stiff connective tissues dissolve and melt into the meat as it cooks gently at a reduced oven temperature. This method yields fork-tender, flavorful beef chunks that are easy to cut.

Should I Use Broth or Stock for Pot Roast

For this pot roast dish, red wine is my preferred braising liquid because of its taste and because its acidity helps tenderize the meat. But for excellent results, you could just as easily use stock or beef broth.

Sear the Roast for More Flavor

Get the Dutch oven out. To transfer this meal from the stove to the oven, use a heavy-bottomed pot with a secure-fitting cover or a dutch oven. The heat from the oven performs all the job. Although you could just throw the roast in the Dutch oven and call it good, searing the meat first gives the meal a ton of flavor.

Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper to taste. When it comes to seasoning the meat, do not be timid. Kosher salt has a flakier, more flavorful texture and flavor than table salt, which sometimes tastes more iodized and strong.

Using a medium-high heat, sear the meat. The meal gains flavor from the seasoned crust that is created while searing the seasoned beef over medium-high heat. Activate the fan on the stove and let it run. Additionally, searing adds flecks of fond to the pan’s bottom for an additional layer of savory flavor. For optimal results, sear the roast’s top, bottom, and sides.

The Easiest 2-Ingredient Pot Roast Gravy

You may find yourself preparing this pot roast repeatedly mostly because of the gravy. It’s that excellent.

I try to stay away from the processed component short cuts that some traditional recipes recommend. I make an effort not to use condensed soup in the recipes I provide because of this. One of the exceptions to my whole food cooking rule, though, is my mom’s pot roast. Well, sometimes you simply have to give up your smug position and listen to your mother.
Making gravy in one step. There are no additional procedures involved in producing the gravy or a butter and flour roux. As the roast cooks, the gravy cooks practically right next it.
Avoid adding water to the condensed cream of mushroom soup. Instead, go saucy with some red wine. As the mixture absorbs the flavor of the meat and vegetable braise, it gives the gravy more body and depth.
For the gravy, use a reasonably priced red wine. Instead of opening a fresh bottle of wine just for cooking, I always have a box of sipable red wine on hand. Choose any kind that you like. Cabernet, pinot noir, merlot, and so forth are all excellent options.

What Temperature Do You Cook Pot Roast

Turn the pot roast down to 325°F. The key to the tastiest pot roast is to bake it slowly and low in the oven after searing the meat on the stove. This less costly cut of beef becomes supple and tasty when it is braised in the gravy sauce at a reduced heat, breaking down the connective tissue.

What is the Cooking Time for Pot Roast

Roast for three quarters to four hours. This roast is the epitome of hands-free cooking once it’s in the oven. The roast cooks best when it is tightly sealed with a cover because the pot retains all the heat. After three hours, see how things are doing and, if you feel like you could use some more work, pour additional gravy over the meat while it cooks. If not, simply let it to carry out its function.

How to Cook Pot Roast In the Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

As stated in the recipe card below, sear the meat in a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan. Place the beef roast, its juices, and its crispy parts inside a slow cooker or Crock Pot insert. Stir in the herbs, veggies, and gravy ingredients. With the lid on, cook on HIGH for four to five hours or on LOW for eight hours.

How to Cook Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Pot Roast

As instructed on the recipe card below, sear the beef in a big Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan. Alternatively, you may sauté it straight in an Instant Pot. After transferring the meat, add the vegetables, herbs, and gravy ingredients to the pressure cooker insert. For sixty minutes, place the pressure cooker on HIGH pressure. After it’s finished, let the cooker release naturally for ten minutes before completing a fast release. NOTE: The gravy may not be as thick while cooked under pressure since the liquid does not evaporate. Additionally, watch how many veggies you put to the pressure cooker and don’t load it over the recommended level.

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BEST Pot Roast Recipe

This simple pot roast recipe makes the ultimate Sunday night comfort food supper straight out of my mother's kitchen. It's fall-apart-tender with a luxurious two-ingredient gravy. Select a well-marbled chuck roast and make the gravy with whatever decent red wine you happen to have on hand. You are welcome to add potatoes to the roast prior to baking.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 4

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Ingredients

4 pound chuck roast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 ounces mushrooms trimmed and halved or quartered
3 stalks celery cut into 1-inch pieces
2 carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ yellow onion quartered
4 cloves garlic peeled and sliced thin
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 10.5 ounce cans condensed cream of mushroom soup undiluted
1 cup red wine any drinkable variety will do

Instructions

Set oven temperature to 325°F.
On all sides of the chuck roast, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chuck roast is added to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot that has been heated to medium-high heat with oil. Sear until browned, 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, celery, carrots, and mushrooms to the saucepan. Combine the mushroom soup and red wine in a large measuring cup or bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over the veggies and chuck roast, place a lid on it securely, and pop it into the oven.
Bake for 3½ to 4 hours, or until the flesh is readily pulled apart and fork-tender. Place the roast, veggies, and gravy on a serving plate. Accompany with buttery parsley red potatoes or mashed potatoes.

Notes

Accompany this dish with creamy mashed potatoes. Alternatively, you may top the roast with two cups of potatoes before baking it.
Recipe for Pot Roast Using a slow cooker or crock pot.According to the instructions on the recipe card below, sear the meat in a large dutch oven or heavy pan. Place the meat, its juices, and its crispy parts inside the insert of a slow cooker or Crock Pot. Stir in the herbs, veggies, and gravy ingredients. With the lid on, cook on HIGH for four to five hours or on LOW for eight hours.
How to Prepare Pot Roast in a Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot.As mentioned in the recipe card below, sear the beef in a big Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan. Alternatively, you may sauté it straight in an Instant Pot. After transferring the meat, add the vegetables, herbs, and gravy ingredients to the pressure cooker insert. For sixty minutes, place the pressure cooker on HIGH pressure. Once finished, let the cooker to naturally release for ten minutes before performing a fast release. NOTE: The gravy may not be as thick while cooked under pressure since the liquid does not evaporate. Additionally, watch how many veggies you put to the pressure cooker and don’t load it over the recommended level.
Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.

Keyword Pot Roast