This is the Easiest And Best Pot Roast Recipe with tender fall apart beef and fresh roasted vegetables! Slow braised beef roast with potatoes, onions, and carrots make a delicious and comforting meal the whole family will love.
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This one pot meal is really the best pot roast recipe ever and is adapted from an old Food & Wine magazine (February 1991 issue date).
It's a perfect recipe for when you don't know what to do with boneless chuck roast. And it's the easiest one too!
No liquid at all is used in the pot and only salt and pepper for the seasoning, yet it consistently produces the most fantastic tasting roast around.
Every single time!
Cooking tips
How to make the best pot roast recipe all starts with selecting the best quality ingredients.
Choosing a well marbled, thick cut piece of beef and fresh vegetables to surround it is the key to tasty success.
This is a quick chuck roast recipe to prepare and let braise in the oven for a couple of hours.
It's also the perfect meal to make a day ahead of time too.
The next day just remove the congealed fat in the pot and puree the onions with the remaining liquid to make a gravy.
Slice the roast and put it in the gravy before reheating or use the leftovers to make a roast beef hash.
Best cut of beef to use
Chuck roast is a rich cut of beef from the cow's shoulder and neck area.
It's a cut that is tough and fatty, so it's full of flavor, yet is inexpensive compared to other beef cuts.
An inexpensive, tough piece of meat benefits greatly from a slow and low cooking method, such as braising.
Braising is the best way to break down the roast's collagen and connective tissue and it turns the meat into the most fall apart, fork tender beefy goodness.
What is braising
Braising is a one pot cooking method where meat is browned in oil, then placed in a pan with a tight fitting lid.
It's cooked at a lower temperature in a moderate amount of liquid, in the oven or on the stove-top.
There are two types of braising: short and long.
- Short braising cooks in about an hour.
- Long braising takes a few hours. This recipe uses the long cooking method and is an ideal way to cook a beef roast in oven!
Braising Tips:
- Use a dutch oven with a tight fitting lid.
- Pat meat until dry for better browning.
- Heat up a little oil in the pan over medium-high heat until hot, then sear the meat on all sides.
- Add a little liquid (or none at all, like in this recipe!). When adding liquid, make sure everything isn't submerged. It's cooked by steam with the liquid, but shouldn't be boiling in the liquid.
- Cover the pot with the tight fitting lid and cook low and slow, either in the oven or on the stove-top.
Best pots for braising
- Dutch Oven with a lid is the BEST kind of pot to use for braising. They come in all different types of materials and range from inexpensive to very expensive.
- A Sauteuse will work well too, but keep in mind it's smaller in size than a dutch oven.
- If you want to be the envy of all your braising friends, get a Doufeu. It's a fancy dutch oven with a concave lid that holds ice to create condensation while cooking, which helps provide moisture to the food.
- If you don't have any of the above in the house, MacGyver a kind of homemade dutch oven. Just take a deep roasting pan and tightly cover with heavy duty foil. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing!
Other names for chuck roast
Chuck roast can be labeled different names for the same cut of beef.
Any piece of beef that is labeled as a "pot roast" is typically suitable for braising. Look for:
- 7-Bone Chuck Roast
- Chuck Arm Pot Roast
- Blade Chuck Roast
- Chuck Eye Roast
- Chuck Pot Roast
- Shoulder Pot Roast
- Chuck Roll Roast
- Chuck Neck Roast
Side dish recipes
Honesty, anything will pretty much go with this ultimate comfort, but I've listed a few of my favorites down below:
- Mashed Potato Cakes ~ Of course, everyone loves mashed potato with pot roast, BUT make dinner more special by turning some mash into crispy potato cakes!
- Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Apricots, and Pistachios ~ Beets and beef go together like peanut butter and jelly.
- French Bread ~ I love a pot roast meal with hot, fresh bread and butter on the side. Plus, you can use the bread to dip in the gravy. YEEEAAAAAAAH!
- Recipe makes 2 loaves of french bread, so enjoy one now and freeze one for later!
- Fresh Green Beans ~ Green beans sautéed with garlic and fresh ginger is the perfect accompaniment to the braised beef with potatoes and carrots.
- Angel Biscuits ~ A light biscuit-like roll with garlic and cheese that doubles as the bread for a leftover roast sandwich the next day.
- Spinach Artichoke Risotto ~ A creamy, cheesy risotto flavored with spinach, garlic, and artichoke hearts. Tastes just like the dip, but in a side dish form.
- Brie Soufflé ~ Soufflés are really easy to make and this batter can even be made a day ahead of time! Fluffy and so airy, these are ideal as a main entrée for the vegetarians at your dinner table.
- Sweet Potato Rolls ~ A cloverleaf shaped yeast roll made with cooked, mashed sweet potatoes and topped with a bacon butter mix. Save this one for later because it makes a PERFECT holiday roll.
- Chipotle Cauliflower ~ Keep it low carb by substituting the potatoes around the roast for oven roasted chipotle cauliflower florets.
Hope you enjoy making this oven baked chuck roast recipe!
Please let me know in the comments below if you agree this is the easiest and best pot roast recipe ever too.
The Easiest And Best Pot Roast Recipe Ever
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 ½ pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 large yellow onion , peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 large potatoes , unpeeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 5-6 large carrots , unpeeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Take the beef roast out of refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 325F/163C degrees. Heat oil in a large (5-7 quart), heavy dutch oven pot over medium high heat until hot. Place meat in pot and cook, without turning, until bottom is well browned. Using tongs, turn meat and brown on all sides.
- Push meat to the side of pan, add the onion, and lightly brown. Stir in the bay leaf and set the meat on top of the onion mixture.
Scatter the potatoes and carrots around the meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. - Cover the pot with a lid or foil and roast in oven for 30 minutes at 325F/163C degrees.
- Reduce temperature to 300F degrees and cook another 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- No liquid is needed in the recipe, as the roast produces it's own while cooking
- To make a quick gravy: Purée the onions and cooking liquid together
- Leftovers are even better the next day! Cook this roast a day ahead and heat up right before eating for an easy meal or make this beef hash
- To reheat: slice the meat and place in a baking dish, cover with the leftover gravy or add extra beef broth to cover the meat, cover the dish and reheat in a preheated oven at 325F/163C until just heated through. Once reheated, pull it immediately out of the oven so the meat doesn't dry out and toughen up
- Can freeze leftovers by storing in an air-tight container for up to 3 months
- Adapted from a recipe in February 1991 Food & Wine magazine
Lisa Nally
Can you cook this on the stove instead of the oven?
Karrie
Hi Lisa, I haven't tried this recipe on the stove, but I'm sure it will cook just fine. One change to the recipe is you’ll have to add liquid to cook the roast on the stovetop. Follow the recipe the same way, but add around 2 cups of beef broth, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 2 hours. If you try it this way, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Jamie Collins
Is a 3.5lb bottom round roast suitable to use? Will I need to modify anything in the recipe if I use that cut?
Karrie
Yes, you can use a bottom round roast, but it's much leaner than chuck, so you'll have to add some beef or chicken broth to the pot. Since it's so lean, you'll have to slow braise it, so it will take longer to cook. Still brown the roast on all sides then add 2-3 cups of broth (make sure it covers at least half of the roast) and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Cover and bake in the oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours for a 3.5 pound roast. Please let me know how the bottom round roast turns out for you!
Lin
I made this pot roast recipe last evening for dinner.
It was easy and delivious! In addition to the onions and carrots, I added parsnips. Turned out perfectly! Thanks for this recipe!
Karrie
That's wonderful Lin and so happy you liked the recipe!
Lisa Sementa
Hi! I have a 4.5 pound chuck roast. How long should I cook it in the oven? Thank you!
Karrie
Hi Lisa, check the roast every 30 minutes after the initial 2 hours cook time to check for the desired tenderness. Please let me know how it turns out!
Lisa Sementa
Thank you so much for responding! I will be cooking it in a few so I will let you know how it turns out. 😊
Mary
I make this all the time. We are only two people so I use a smaller roast about 1.5 lbs. I cook it at 325 for 30 minutes and reduce to 300 for an hour.
Karrie
That's wonderful Mary and thank you for the cooking tip for a smaller roast!
Kathy
Thanks for that info. I’m making a 2 1/2 pound roast and wondering about the time as well. I did put a little beef broth on top before putting in the oven. 😬 I hope I didn’t mess it up!! 🥴
Karrie
How did it turn out with the addition of the broth Kathy?
Jennifer
Made this exactly as directed (for a 2.5 lb roast) and turned out perfectly! So good I already ordered (since all online now) another one for next week! Thank you 🙂
Karrie
Thank you Jennifer and I'm super thrilled you like the recipe so much! Have you tried making beef roast hash with the leftovers? OMG, so good for breakfast or dinner. You might want to order 2 roasts for next week. lol!
Jennifer
Leftovers?? 😂 If we ever have any, I'll let you know!
Karrie
😂😂
Teresa O
Hello & thank you for this recipe! This is the second time making it & we absolutely love the flavor, the tender pull apart with a fork eating & overall ease of throwing it altogether! It had been awhile since I had made a chuck roast not by my doing but picky eaters in the family.
I decided I’ll try it again & I’m glad I did - they loved it!
Karrie
Hello Teresa! I'm so happy you decided to make pot roast roast again too! Thank you so much for your sweet review and very glad your family loved the recipe. Hope you are hanging in there during this crazy time cooking for your picky eaters (haha!) and please let me know if you need any suggestions or have any food/cooking questions. 🙂
Ed Hamel
How long should you cook a 2 lb roast
Karrie
Cook it for 30 minutes at 325F, then reduce the heat to 300F and check the roast to see if it's tender after 45 minutes. If it needs longer, check it every 15 minutes until it's fork tender.
Mima B
I did this..came out delish! To bad I can't post a picture of it.
Karrie
Thank you so much Mima and wish I could see a pic of your roast too!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Judy
Can I broil it in oven enstead of baking?
Wat is the difference?
Karrie
Hi Judy, chuck roast is a less tender cut of beef that benefits from a slow and low method of dry and moist heat, such as braising (baking). Broiling is a quick, direct dry heat method that's better suited for flat tender beef steaks.
Rina
How about a pressure cooker? Same as braising recipe?
Karrie
Hi Rina, braising is a low and slow cooking method and is very different from pressure cooking. I haven't tried my pot roast recipe in a pressure cooker, but I did a little research and found some information. For a 3 pound chuck roast, brown on all sides and remove. Lightly brown the onions, then add 1 1/2 cups of beef broth, seal the lid, and cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. After pressure is released, remove lid and add potatoes and/or carrots. Cook at high pressure for another 15 minutes. Good luck and please let me know if these instructions work for you!
Patty
I've been making this the past few months, usually once a month. I also add a little celery & mushrooms. It's delicious. Thank you!
Karrie
Welcome Patty and thanks for your review! I bet the celery and mushrooms are great additions and trying that next time!
Nellie Laboy
Great delicious recipe.
Karrie
Thank you Nellie!
Savannah Brown
Hi! Would it take longer to cook in a crock pot?? I don't have a deep pot to cook it in
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Hi Savannah! Yes, it will take much longer in a crock pot (8-10 hours at high or 5-6 hours on low). If you still want to oven bake it and you have a deep enough baking dish to hold the roast, just tightly cover the top with foil and bake as directed. Hope you enjoy it!
Lisa Lee
Back around '91 I was a HUGE Food and Wine (and Epicurious) fan. I believe I had this recipe then but lost it over the years. It is FANTASTIC! I only had onions so that's all I used but what a great flavor! Note: I DO "dry age" my beef in the fridge for a few days before cooking to concentrate the beefy flavor. This 3 pound chuck I had on a rack over a pan in the bottom back of the fridge for 5 days.
BUT! Twenty thumbs up for this recipe.
Karrie
LOVE that you were a 91 F & W fan too Lisa!!!! Dry aged is a great idea on the beef too. I do it with steaks, but going to try it with chuck roast next time. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and leave a 20 thumbs up review!!
Marilyn
Omg
The BEST ever!
Can not describe to you how impressed we were with this recipe - l didn’t want all those liquid ideas.
Used my blue oval Rachael Ray heavy cast iron baker & roast was Amazing
Thank u soooo much
Karrie
You are welcome Marilyn and it's the only pot roast recipe I've used since 1991, when I first saw it in a F&W magazine. So happy you all enjoyed it!
sheri
Do I need to add any liquid?
Karrie
No liquid is needed in the recipe Sheri. Hope you enjoy! I just made it last night for dinner and turning leftovers into beef hash for tonight.
Emily
Hi this sounds good can I cook it on top the stove as well
Karrie
Hi Emily, I haven't tried this recipe on the stove-top yet, but it should work. You’ll have to add liquid to cook it on the stovetop. Make it exactly the same way, but add around 2 cups of beef broth, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 2 hours. If you try it this way, please let me know how it turns out for you!