This Pot Roast recipe was created to fit all types of dietary plans including gluten free, Whole30, low-carb as well as paleo to name a few. We have been perfecting this recipe throughout the winter months as a hearty and healthy set and forget meal.
What Is a Pot Roast?
A pot roast is the art of taking tougher cuts of meat such as the chuck roast (or stew beef) and cooking it with a variety of vegetables, potatoes, spices and broth until the meat becomes soft and pull apart tender.
Is it Hard to Make a Pot Roast?
Have no fear, we’re here to tell you not to be intimidated! It will take a few hours to tenderize the meat, but you’ll only need to put in 30 minutes of prep on the front end so that you can have enough hearty bowls of meat, potatoes and vegetables for up to 8 people!
How to Achieve the Perfect Whole30 Pot Roast
Our favorite way of cooking this hearty bowl of winter flavors is low and slow with the Dutch oven. Although crockpots (link to a plug) and instant pots (link to a plug) are viable options that will yield similar results, we prefer the Dutch oven method.
Why you’ll Love this Recipe:
It’s budget friendly. You get many healthy and hearty meals for not a large time or dollar investment.
You can customize the flavors. Pot Roast doesn’t have to be simple! You can add your favorite vegetables, herbs, spices and seasonings to make it customizable.
It doesn’t have to be Whole30. If Whole30 isn’t something on your horizon, feel free to make this recipe and add a pinch of sugar, dairy, red wine, or anything that you believe would enhance your dish.
The flavor gets better. After the second day, the flavor of the broth was incredibly rich and only became deeper and richer in flavor.
It lasts a long time. Store it, freeze it, thaw it and you have an all-inclusive dinner.
1 Tbsp of your preferred high-heat oil (coconut oil, ghee, or avocado oil) 6 cups of compliant stock (whatever you have: beef, chicken, veggie) 1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 Large Onion, roughly chopped
2 Carrots , roughly chopped
1 bulb of fennel, roughly chopped
2 roses of garlic (I prefer roasted, but you can absolutely do fresh). 1 Bay Leaf
3 Sprigs fresh thyme
2 Sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
PREHEAT oven to 300. REMOVE the roast from the fridge and let it come towards room temp while you prep the other ingredients.
CHOP up the veggies. GENEROUSLY salt and pepper the roast all over.
HEAT up a heavy-bottom Dutch oven over medium high heat, add oil. CAREFULLY place the roast in the hot oil. Hot oil splatter is not fun.
SEAR the meat, approximately ~ 2 minutes on each side, remove it to a plate. ADD broth to deglaze the pan, and using a wooden spoon move any of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
ADD the veggie, herbs, garlic, and canned tomato to the Dutch oven. PLACE the seared roast in with the veggies and stock.
COVER and cook for 3 1/2- 4 ****in the oven. hours ensuring meat is covered in liquid – this will make sure it is tender!
Notes
Our favorite way to eat this on a busy weeknight: Stuff a small sweet potato with the saucy meat, and some steamed spinach and broccoli!
Recipe Tips
If you are anti-soggy vegetables and potatoes: We mentioned it before, but we really don’t like soggy vegetables or potatoes. Once you have let the roast cook in the Dutch oven for 3 hours, take it out of the oven. This is when you can add the carrots, fennel and potatoes (and any other vxeggies you may have prepared) to the pot. Make sure to cover the new additions with the liquid in the pot, add a couple pinches of salt and pepper to the top and cook for about another hour.
Can I use other types of meat? We recommend beef chuck because the meat is marbled throughout, creating more richness in flavor. That being said, stew meat (usually pre-cubed up in smaller pieces) is also a good option. It tends to be leaner, giving your stew slightly less of that extra decadence in flavor profile.
If you like thick sauce (Arrow root starch): Once the roast is out of the oven, feel free to ladle a cup of the beef sauce in a bowl and whisk in (start with) 2 tablespoons of arrow root starch, and whisk until fully incorporated in the small bowl, you can incorporate to the rest of the roast.
Variations
Customize your pot roast with: Heavy cream, a pinch of sugar, any type of vegetable you like, a splash of red wine, or arrow root starch to thicken the sauce to more of a gravy. Yes arrow root starch is Whole30 compliant.
FAQ
Where does beef chuck come from?
We have found that the best cut for the juiciest pot roast you can make is beef chuck. The beef chuck comes from muscles in the lower neck and upper shoulder of the cow. These muscles are used so frequently making this cut of beef tough. We offset the toughness of the beef by cooking it for a long time on low heat until the muscles have broken down to become soft and tender.
Why is browning the meat first important?
Browning the meat before the slow cooking process adds depth to the flavor profile of the dish.
How thick should I cut the vegetables?
Cutting your vegetables about 2” thick so that they don’t become mushy in the Dutch oven.
When should I add the potatoes and vegetables?
After about 3 hours of cooking, take the pot out of the oven and add the uncooked potatoes making sure they are fully covered with liquid.
Can I make the pot roast in advance?
Making your roast a day in advance helps bring out even more flavor than making it day of. To save yourself the headache and the dishes, let the roast cool to room temperature, and then carefully transfer the entire pot to the fridge. That way it’s easy to re-heat the following day.
What is the best way to store your Pot Roast for future meals?
Wait until it’s fully cooled down before putting in an airtight container. Make sure to leave at least 1/2 inch at the top as the contents will expand in the freezer.
What is the perfect amount of liquid for the Pot Roast?
Ensure that the broth is covering the tops of everything inside the pot. Make sure you have a heavy lid for your pot to maintain the consistent steam temperature which will allow the roast to continue to break down the muscles and fibers into tender bites.
Do you have a substitute for a heavy lid?
A good option is covering your heavy pot with a cookie sheet. If you want to make sure there is not steam escaping, add an oven safe plate or two on-top of it. Just be careful when handling everything because it all gets heavy.
In what order should I place the vegetables and the pot roast in the Dutch oven?
Here at cookbycolor, we are crunchy vegetable people. Don’t give me any soggy sad vegetables, we will not eat them (Sam I am). If you are like us, and prefer firm vegetables, add with the potatoes at the 3 hour mark. If you like the softer vegetables and potatoes, place them in the pot when the Dutch oven process begins.
How do you know when a pot roast is done?
Give your pot roast plenty of time to cook. In an oven set at 300F, it will take about four hours. When you stick your fork in it, the meat should pull apart easily. If not, keep it in until it is tender!
Can you cook a pot roast in a slow cooker?
Follow the same preparation instructions and it will take about eight hours on the low setting. Plug to a link
Can you cook a pot roast in a Instant Pot?
Follow the same preparation instructions and it will take about BLANK hours on the BLANK setting. Plug to a link
