This one dish pot roast is the perfect cozy dinner. With juicy beef that falls apart, tender potatoes and carrots, soaked in a rich and delicious gravy. Perfect for when you’re wanting a simple and comforting meal.
All made in one pot, cooked on low in the oven, this pot roast is an easy and scrumptious dinner. It’s no wonder it’s a family favourite in America. Every family seems to have their own recipe, so this is my take on a yummy pot roast.
The pot roast recipe video is my second most viewed TikTok as of September 2023, following my xiao long bao recipe, with over 1 million views. It was great to see so many people appreciating this dish, and appreciating my recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Carrots: add a slight natural sweetness to the pot roast. Cooked until fork tender, these juicy carrots are a great vegetable to add. Like the potatoes, the carrots absorb the flavours they are slow cooked in.
- Potatoes: this beloved starchy carb adds to the heartiness and comforting experience. Cooked until tender – not mushy – it absorbs the pot roasts flavour while adding a delectable texture.
- Aromatics: onion and garlic help build the base for the flavour of this recipe, adding a sweet and savoury depth to the dish. The onion is finely sliced and the garlic is crushed for optimal flavour.
- Beef: rump may be a slightly controversial choice, but hear me out. Beef rump tends to have a bad wrap for dishes like this, if not cooked long enough it can come out rough and chewy. However, if cooked right it is perfect for pot roasts and stews. Chuck roasts are the typical pot roast choice of meat, which by all means use that if you’d like. Rump is a more budget friendly option, so do not be put off by the price of a chuck roast.
- Beef stock: gives the rich dish an umami boost. Rather than using water to make the gravy, cooking the beef in stock first allows for ultimate flavour. It’s not the main flavour, but it helps to embrace and enhance the other ingredients’ tastes.
- Gravy packets: to make the pot roast as easy as possible. Whilst other seasonings are going to be added, using premade instant gravy packets ensures the dish has a rich sauce. It thickens the stock and coats the other ingredients in flavourful goodness!
- Seasonings: in this pot roast are paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian herbs. Paprika gives the gravy a light smokiness to add depth. Garlic and onion powders are great flavour enhancers for the savouriness. Italian herbs give the pot roast another depth for delicious flavour.
How to make this scrumptious pot roast
Preparation.
Preheat the oven to 150℃. Chop the ends off and peel the carrot, then cut it into relatively thin rounds – quarters for the wider pieces. Peel the potatoes and chop into bite size pieces. Remove the outer layers of the onion and garlic. Slice the onion thinly.
Sear the beef.
Bring the pot to a high temperature with olive oil. Add a small amount of salt to the beef. Sear the beef rump for a couple minutes on each side, so that it gets some colour on the outside. You do not want to cook it fully here. Remove the beef and set it aside.
Sauté the aromatics.
Use a small amount of the beef stock to deglaze, and scrap all the flavours on the bottom of the pot. Add the onion and garlic to the pot the beef was in. Sauté until the onion starts to deepen in colour and soften.
First stage of cooking.
Place the whole beef rump back into the pot. Pour the remaining beef stock into the pot, so that everything is submerged. Place a lid on the pot and put it in the oven. Leave the pot in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Gravy, seasonings, potatoes, and carrots.
After 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the pot roast from the oven. Mix in the two packets of gravy to the stock. Also add the carrot and potato. Stir until they are also submerged in the gravy. Mix in the seasonings.
Second stage cooking of the pot roast.
Place the pot roast back into the oven for a further 1 hour and 15 minutes. Afterwards, take the pot roast out of the oven. Use two forks to shred the now tender beef. Stir so that all the beef is coated in the gravy. Then serve!
What to serve with the pot roast?
Good question! As you can see from my photo, I served mine with green beans. I sautéed the beans in butter with some crushed garlic, delectable. I find that because pot roast is quite a hearty dish, serving it with some form of green is a great way to brighten the meal. You could leave the pot roast as a stand alone dish for sure, adding something is not necessary.
What if I don’t have an oven safe dish?
I cooked mine in a dutch oven, my favourite kitchen product. However, I have also made pot roast in the slow cooker too which is amazing! If you make it in the slow cooker, then cook on low for 8 hours. With beef it is best to cook low and slow. I preferred making it in the dutch oven on a weekend so I did not have to prepare anything in the morning, but it’s just as amazing in the slow cooker.
Storage
I personally would not recommend freezing the pot roast. However, this pot roast is perfect for leftovers in the fridge! Let the dish cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
More cozy recipes:
- Chicken, Leek, Mushroom Pie
- Zuppa Toscana
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Curried Sausages
- Bangers n Mash
- Red Wine Chicken
- Braised Short Ribs
Alrighty… ready to embark on a perfect cozy dinner? Come on, let’s get to cooking this tender and flavourful pot roast for your next meal!
Pot Roast
Equipment
- 1 Oven Safe Pot such as dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 carrots rounds
- 2 potatoes bite size pieces
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 brown onions sliced
- 750 grams beef rump
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 packets instant gravy
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp italian herbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150℃.
- Bring the pot to a high temperature with olive oil. Add a small amount of salt to the beef. Sear the beef rump for a couple minutes on each side, so that it gets some colour on the outside. You do not want to cook it fully here.
- Remove the beef and set it aside. Use a small amount of the beef stock to deglaze, and scrap all the flavours on the bottom of the pot.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pot the beef was in. Sauté until the onion starts to deepen in colour and soften.
- Place the whole rump back into the pot.
- Pour the remaining beef stock into the pot, so that everything is submerged.
- Place a lid on the pot and put it in the oven. Leave the pot in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- After this time, remove the pot roast from the oven. Mix in the two packets of gravy to the stock.
- Also add the carrot and potato. Stir until they are also submerged in the gravy.
- Mix in the seasonings, then place the pot roast back into the oven for a further 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Take the pot roast out of the oven. Use two forks to shred the now tender beef. Stir so that all the beef is coated in the gravy. Then serve!
