slow cooker roast beef with potatoes and carrots
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Slow cooker beef roast with potatoes and carrots is an easy, no-fuss meal that the entire family will enjoy. Tender dijon-herb beef roast is slow cooked with onions, potatoes, and carrots.
Looking for an easy “set it and forget it” meal? You’re going to love this slow cooker beef roast recipe. All of the ingredients are added in the morning and cooked on low until dinner time.
The dijon-herb beef roast is filled with flavor and turns out juicy and fall apart tender. Potatoes, carrots, and onions are thick chopped and tossed right in with your beef roast.
Serve this beef roast for an easy weeknight meal, Sunday dinner, or anytime you’re looking for a warm, comforting meal.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast is the ultimate comfort food! It’s a super hearty, deliciously flavorful meal in one that’s sure to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.
This is just classic, homestyle, stick to your ribs good food made with basic, real ingredients. Plus it’s the best thing to come home to, cooked in the crock pot and ready to eat after a long day!
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
I highly recommend using whole baby potatoes or new potatoes for this recipe. If using larger russet potatoes or yukon gold potatoes, slice in half or into large quarters. Smaller diced potatoes will get mushy when cooked for 8 hours.
Carrots can be substituted with parsnips or larger baby carrots. Smaller carrots will get mushy when cooked for 8 hours, which is why I recommend slicing them into large chunks.
Beef broth can be substituted with chicken or vegetable broth.
WHAT KIND OF ROAST SHOULD I USE?
A chuck roast or chuck shoulder roast is easy to find at your local grocer. This is the type of roast I’ve used in the photos. Chuck roast will turn out tender and shreds easily with a fork.
This recipe will also work with a round roast (top or bottom round), which is slightly leaner than a chuck roast. Round roast is easy to slice and serve.
This recipe would also work with a pork butt or pork shoulder. Or, try my recipe for Garlic & Herb Slow Cooker Pork Roast.
HOW TO PREVENT MUSHY VEGETABLES
The key to preventing mushy vegetables is to cut your carrots into large, two inch (or bigger) chunks, and to leave your baby potatoes whole.
Veggies can be served as is and sliced on the plate, or sliced just before serving.
Small diced potatoes and veggies will get mushy when cooked in the slow cooker for 8 or more hours. If you’d like to use small diced veggies, add them in the last 2 hours of cooking.
TENDER BEEF ROAST
So, what’s the key to cooking a tender, juicy beef roast? Beef roast is a fatty, tough cut of meat, and is best cooked low and slow.
Tough meats need to be cooked for longer periods of time at a lower temperature. Doing so breaks down the tough connective tissue and the collagen between the muscle fibers. This results in a juicy, fall-apart tender meat.
LEFTOVERS
Beef roast leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Cooked beef roast can be frozen in a tightly sealed container for 2 to 3 months. Cooked carrots and potatoes can be frozen as well, but potatoes may experience a slight change in texture when frozen and thawed.
Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 onion cut into wedges
- 1 pound carrots cut into large, 2 inch chunks
- 1 ½ pounds baby potatoes left whole
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3-4 pound chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch optional
Ingredients for Crock Pot Roast
- Chuck roast – I like to use a wider shorter roast here, then the bed of vegetables can just lay atop.
- Olive oil – for searing the roast and sautéing the aromatics.
- Salt and pepper – season roast with a fair amount of salt, otherwise it can taste a little flat.
- Yellow onion – I prefer to saute the onions before adding to slow cooker remove the raw bite. Then I like to take the onion slices out after cooking since they do get mushy but leave them if you like.
- Garlic – be sure to use fresh garlic for best flavor here. Use a garlic crusher if you hate mincing.
- Beef broth – I know they say not to use canned beef broth but chicken broth just doesn’t seem right here. I personally like the flavor just fine.
- Worcestershire sauce – if you don’t have this you can skip it. It just adds a little hint of depth.
- Fresh thyme, rosemary and parsley – fresh herbs do taste best here but if you don’t want to pay the higher price use 1/3 the amount listed of dried herbs.
- Yukon gold potatoes (AKA yellow potatoes) – red potatoes will work great here as well. I just prefer the appetizing color of the yellow.
- Carrots – thicker carrots work better here as they won’t get mushy with this lengthy cook time.
- Cornstarch – this is optional but preferred for best results. It’s turns a broth with an almost water-like consistency into a perfectly thickened gravy that clings to the meat and vegetables.
Instructions
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In a 6 quart slow cooker, add onion, carrots, potatoes, garlic, and beef broth.
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In a bowl, combine dijon mustard, salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary. Brush mustard paste on all sides of beef roast and place in slow cooker on top of vegetables.
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Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high for 5-6 hours), or until beef roast is tender. This will depend on the size and shape of the roast you’re using.
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Optionally, whisk together cornstarch and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Remove roast from slow cooker and add the cornstarch mixture to the beef broth, stirring to thicken into a gravy.
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How to Make the Best Pot Roast in the Crock Pot
- Brown roast, add to slow cooker: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Dab roast dry with paper towels, season all over with salt and pepper.
- Sear roast in pot until browned on both sides, about 4 – 5 minutes per side. Transfer roast to slow cooker.
slow cooker roast beef with potatoes and carrots - Saute aromatics, layer them over roast: Add remaining 1/2 Tbsp olive oil to pot. Add onion and saute 2 minutes, add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.
- Pour onion mixture over roast in slow cooker.
- Make the most of those browned bits: Return pot to heat, pour in beef broth, Worcestershire, thyme and rosemary and cook about 15 seconds, just long enough to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot, this will add lots of flavor to the broth. Remove pot from heat.
- Layer vegetables into slow cooker: Layer potatoes and carrots over onion layer in slow cooker, pour beef broth evenly over top then season with salt and pepper.
- Cook low and slow: Cover slow cooker and cook on low heat until roast and vegetables are tender, about 8 – 9 hours.
- Remove roast and vegetables, shred roast, cut up potatoes if desired.
How to Thicken Gravy for Pot Roast
I don’t always thicken the broth if I don’t have time but I really do prefer the thicker gravy. I’ve tried several different methods for thickening and I prefer the cornstarch route since you don’t have to add extra fat (butter for flour) and I prefer to thicken after cooking best.
If you try to thicken with flour or cornstarch from the beginning it doesn’t thicken properly and can leave a floury or cornstarch flavor behind. It’s . Here’s how you’ll thicken the gravy:
- Whisk cornstarch with 3 Tbsp beef broth then pour into saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, let simmer 30 – 60 seconds.
- Plate roast and vegetables, pour gravy over the top and sprinkle with parsley.
Can I use a Different Cut of Meat?
For best results stick with the chuck roast for this recipe. Other roasts won’t be as tender.
Can I Use Baby Carrots?
I have also made this using a bag of baby carrots but only go for a bag of the thick baby carrots. You know what I mean. We’ve all seen those pencil thin worthless bags of baby carrots. Use the hearty thick ones (check the organic section, they aren’t much more expensive and they taste better).
Can I Add Wine?
If you’d like you can also add 1/2 cup red wine to this recipe along with the beef broth.
Can I Cook on High Heat?
I only recommend low heat cooking for the most tender results. I’ve tested with high heat cooking and it’s just not the same.
slow cooker roast beef with potatoes and carrots What Should I Serve with Crock Pot Roast?
Really you don’t need anything else to go with this it’s such a hearty dish on it’s own, but if you’d like serve it with a side salad, some steamed asparagus for a nice green color, or some steamed asparagus for a nice green color, or some buttered homemade bread.
