RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
November Pick: Crockpot Meals

Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables

Chuck roast browned hard and slow-cooked with carrots, turnips, celery, onions, garlic, and herbs until fork-tender in a rich, savory gravy.

Why you'll love Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables

Pot roast is the Sunday supper of chilly November evenings: a chuck roast browned in a hot skillet, then cooked slowly on a bed of carrots, turnips, celery, and onions with garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay until it falls apart at the touch of a fork. The slow cooker does the long, gentle braise while you get on with the day, and the house smells wonderful by dinner.

Chuck is the right cut because it is full of connective tissue. Hours of low, moist heat melt that tissue into gelatin, which makes the meat tender and gives the cooking liquid a silky body. Browning the roast first builds the deep, savory flavor that becomes the gravy, and so does cooking the tomato paste in the same skillet until it darkens. At the end, a cup of the soft onions and juices blends into a gravy thick enough to coat a spoon, with a splash of vinegar to brighten it.

Turnips go in alongside the carrots. They soak up the juices and turn tender and mild, with a gentle sweetness that suits a pot roast plate.

Quick overview: This Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables takes 25 min of hands-on time and about 8 hr 45 min in all and makes 6 servings, each about 5 oz beef with 1 cup vegetables and gravy. You'll need a slow cooker, a skillet, and a blender.

Jump to recipe

Beef pot roast with carrots, turnips and celery in gravy
Prep 25 minCook 8 hr 20 minTotal 8 hr 45 minServes 6Serving about 5 oz beef with 1 cup vegetables and gravyYou'll need Slow cooker, Skillet, Blender

Ingredients

  • 3 lb boneless beef chuck roast
  • 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 medium yellow onions, cut into thick wedges
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste Label: tomatoes, and salt if any
  • 1 1/2 cups beef bone broth Label: beef bones, water, vegetables, herbs, and salt, with no sugar, natural flavors, or oil
  • 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 2 medium turnips (about 3/4 lb), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
  • 3 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Season the roast: Pat the roast dry and season it all over with the salt and pepper. A dry surface browns; a wet one steams.
  2. Brown it hard: Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the roast for 4 to 5 minutes a side, including the edges, until it has a deep brown crust. That crust is where most of the gravy's flavor comes from, so give it time. Move the roast to a plate.
  3. Brown the aromatics: Lower the heat to medium, add the onion wedges to the skillet, and cook for 3 minutes, until they pick up some color. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the paste turns a shade darker and smells sweet.
  4. Deglaze: Pour in the broth and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the skillet, which dissolves that flavor into the liquid.
  5. Load the slow cooker: Spread the carrots, turnips, and celery in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker and set the roast on top. Pour the onions and broth over the roast and tuck in the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. The vegetables sit in the juices underneath, where they cook evenly and soak up the flavor.
  6. Slow-cook: Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until a fork twists easily in the thickest part of the roast. By then the beef is well past the 145°F (63°C) safe point; the long cook is what melts its connective tissue. Keep the lid on, since each peek lets out heat and adds time.
  7. Make the gravy: Lift the roast and vegetables onto a platter and cover them loosely with foil. Discard the herb stems and bay leaves and skim the fat from the surface of the juices. Ladle about 1 cup of the juices with the soft onions into a blender, blend until smooth, and stir it back into the rest of the juices along with the vinegar. Taste and add salt if needed.
  8. Serve: Break the roast into large pieces with two forks, pile the vegetables around it, spoon the gravy over everything, and finish with the parsley.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerate the beef and vegetables in their gravy for up to 4 days. The fat sets on top when cold; lift it off before reheating.

Freeze the beef in its gravy for up to 3 months; the carrots and turnips soften further once frozen. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently in a covered saucepan until hot through.

Variations

  • Mushrooms: Add 8 oz of halved cremini mushrooms with the carrots for an earthier gravy.
  • Rutabaga: Use rutabaga in place of the turnips for a slightly sweeter, golden root vegetable.
  • Horseradish: Serve with a spoonful of sour cream stirred with prepared horseradish.
  • Instant Pot: Brown the roast and aromatics on sauté in the pressure cooker, add the broth and herbs, and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes with a natural release. Add the vegetables, cook at high pressure for 5 minutes more, and quick release.

Notes and tips

  • Choose a well-marbled roast: Look for a chuck roast with white streaks of fat running through it. That marbling melts into the meat and keeps it moist through the long cook.
  • Cut the vegetables big: Large pieces hold their shape over 8 hours; small pieces fall apart into the gravy.
  • Make it a day ahead: Pot roast tastes even better the next day, and the chilled fat lifts off in one piece.
  • Use the low setting: Low and slow gives the most tender meat. The high setting works in 5 to 6 hours, but the meat comes out a little firmer.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Beef chuck brings protein along with iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, and its collagen gives the gravy a rich, silky body.
  • Carrots, turnips, celery, and onions bring fiber and potassium, and they cook in the juices until they taste of the roast.
  • The marbling in the chuck and the browning in the skillet are what make this meal deeply satisfying, and the blended onions give the gravy its body.
  • Garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay give the pot its warm, savory aroma.
  • As you eat, notice how tender the meat is and how the vegetables carry the gravy, and pay attention to how long a plate like this holds you: well past 3 hours, with a calm, settled fullness through the evening.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Do I have to brown the roast?

It is worth it. Browning builds the deep flavor and color of the gravy. If you are pressed for time, the roast still turns tender without it, with a lighter gravy.

Why is my pot roast tough?

It needs more time. Chuck turns tender only after its connective tissue melts, so keep cooking until a fork twists easily.

Can I use a different cut?

Brisket or bottom round both work; brisket is richer and round is firmer. Keep cooking until a fork twists easily.

Can I put the roast in frozen?

No. Thaw it in the refrigerator first, since a frozen roast spends too long at unsafe temperatures in a slow cooker.

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Tags: November Pick, Crockpot Meals, American, Dairy-Free