Name: Easy Pot Roast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 210 min
Total time: 225 min
Ingredients: 3 to 5 pound beef roast (such as chuck, round or brisket); 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste); 2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste); 2 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 medium onions (cut into 1 inch pieces); 2 stalks celery (chopped into 1 inch pieces); 2 large carrots (peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces); 5 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tablespoon thyme (fresh, chopped or 1 tsp dried thyme); 1 cup red wine (dry, such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon); 2 cups beef broth (low sodium); 2 pound potatoes (red skins, cut into bite size chunks, 2 inch pieces); 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 sprig rosemary (fresh)

This Easy Pot Roast recipe can be made on the stove top, in the oven, or using a slow cooker! Get ready to sit down to a dinner of fall-apart-tender pot roast beef loaded with flavor and served with carrots and potatoes.

Are you on the hunt for a stunning dinner with minimal effort? Well, you’ve found it! This pot roast takes an entire 15 minutes of prep and will yield a deeply flavored meal complete with meat and veggies. Why slave away in the kitchen when you can sit back and enjoy the evening with your loved ones?

Pot roast is such a classing comfort dish, perfect for a lazy Sunday supper. It’s hearty, delicious and comes complete with carrots and potatoes. A complete dish all in one pot.

What Is Pot Roast?

Pot roast is, quite literally, a piece of meat roasted in a pot. This method involves taking a big cut of beef, brown it on all sides and slow cook it with broth and aromatics until fall apart tender. The pot must be sturdy, oven-safe, and covered with a lid.

Pot roast is a braise that cooks at a low temperature for a long time. This is why the oven, stove-top or even a slow cooker are great for making pot roast.

Ingredients Needed For Easy Pot Roast

You will probably have all these simple ingredients already in your pantry! Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe and ingredient amounts.

Beef roast – You can use any cuts such as chuck, round, or brisket.
Onion, Carrots, Celery and Potatoes – Keep everything cut into about 2″ pieces. If the pieces are too small they can get mushy. Use a sweet, yellow, or white onion. I used Yukon gold potatoes however you can use red skinned or white potatoes as well. Just make sure everything is cut about the same size so they all cook at the same time.
Beef broth – I always use low sodium broth. You can use any type of broth that you have handy, but beef broth will give a deeper flavor.
Vegetable oil – Olive oil, avocado oil, or canola oil will also work.
Garlic – The more garlic the merrier!
Red wine – Use dry wine such as Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. If you want to go alcohol-free, you can use an extra cup of beef broth with a tbsp vinegar. Balsamic, red wine vinegar, or regular white vinegar will work.
Worcestershire sauce – You can add more or less if you like.
Herbs – Any herbs will work. I suggest using fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme as they will develop incredible flavor as the roast cooks.
Salt & pepper – Use as much or as little as you prefer.

How to Make Easy Pot Roast

A large Dutch oven is best for this recipe. Find a pot with a lid that you can both sear the meat in and is safe to pop in the oven.

Prepare the oven & meat: Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Heat the oil in your oven safe pot over high-heat. Season the chuck roast on all sides generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat until browned on all sides, about 4 min per side.
Saute the onion and celery: In the same pot, add the onions and celery. Cook and stir over medium heat for about 7 minutes or until onions start to brown. Stir in the garlic and thyme, then saute for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then stir in the beef broth. You can replace the wine with more beef broth.
Add the rest of the ingredients: Return the roast to the pot. Arrange the potatoes and carrots around the meat. Pour the Worcestershire sauce over the roast and place the rosemary sprig on top. Cover the pot with the lid and roast for 3 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F and shreds easily with a fork.
Make the sauce: Skim the fat from the liquid in the pot. Bring to a boil over the stovetop and cook about 10-12 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half; you should have about 1 1/2 cups left.
Serve: Shred the roast and serve on a platter with the veggies. Ladle the sauce over the shredded meat and garnish with chopped parsley if you’d like.

What Cut of Beef Is Best for a Pot Roast?

With this method, we will be cooking the beef low-and-slow with liquid. The meat will be fully cooked through and become so tender that you can shred it with a fork. This being said, there’s no need to go out and get an expensive cut for your pot roast!

A tougher cut that is lean with lots of connective tissues is great for making pot roast. Stick to cheaper cuts like chuck, brisket, and round.

Can I Make Pot Roast in Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker?

Yes you can! A Slow Cooker is ideal for easy recipes that you can prep the night before and turn the pot on in the morning before you go to work. When you come home at night, not only will your house smell incredible, but you’ll have the most delicious meal ever.

I prefer to cook my pot roast in the slow cooker on low for 10 hours. I find that makes the most tender meat. However, 8 hours on low should be good enough as well or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

You can also cook this pot roast in your Instant Pot. You will get the same results but in a lot less time. Use the Saute function to brown the meat first, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on Manual (high pressure) mode for 80 minutes.

How Do You Store Leftover Pot Roast

Leftover beef can be tightly wrapped in foil or put in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Can You Freeze Pot Roast

Leftover beef is great to have in the freezer. Pot roast can be safely frozen in your freezer for 2 months, just make sure you store it properly such as in freezer bags or airtight containers.