For how “meat and potatoes” our family is, we have very few pot roasts under our Crock Pot Thursday belt. Pot roast isn’t the sexiest of dishes, but really, it’s almost perfect. It is fairly inexpensive, is easy to prepare, and has meat, vegetables, and my favorite food group: gravy.
Roasts are great for fall and winter. I love how a tough cut of meat can be transformed into fork-tender deliciousness with the magic of the slow cooker. The long cook time is ideal for those folks away from the house all day, and this one can even be cooked for up to 14 hours! The leftovers are spectacular, and if there is anything left after the second night, the meat makes great sandwiches.
This particular Easy Crock Pot Beef Pot Roast has a secret ingredient that I happen to love. Do you want to know what it is? (This is how my five-year-old shares important information now. There is a build-up, and you either have to guess her news, or you have to beg her to tell you.)
I’m not five, so I’ll just tell you.
Applesauce.
I know, right?
When my sister-in-law, Sarah, chose this recipe, I was excited. Not only because of the pot roast (YUM), but also because I still had some applesauce from my most recent batch of Crock Pot Applesauce in the fridge. I think this is the first time I’ve every piggybacked one slow cooker recipe on another, and I don’t get out much, so this thrilled me. It’s like a slow-cooking train!
Sarah, who lives on a farm so rural she can’t go for walks during hunting season for fear of being shot, and has to drive into town to get cell phone reception, is truly owning the homesteading vibe by making her own gravy mix. If you don’t like the gunk in the packets, or are just cheap like me, one batch of this dried mix can last up to six months. We’re getting into gravy season, what with Thanksgiving a month away, so now would be a great time to try this out.
See the bottom of the post for the gravy mix recipe!
When you are tossing stuff in your slow cooker for this Easy Crockpot Beef Pot Roast, feel free to add more of whatever your family will eat. I like to torture my family with root vegetables, so I used extra of those. Also, you can peel your potatoes if you wish. I used red potatoes, so I kept the peel on. I think it’s prettier that way, and pot roast can use all the help it can get in the appearance department. No offense, pot roast. You know how much I love you.
Easy Crockpot Beef Pot Roast
Easy Beef Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3-5 pound chuck roast
- salt and pepper
- few tablespoons olive oil
- 3 or 4 medium to large size potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (or about 20 baby carrots)
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 envelope onion soup mix
- 1 envelope brown gravy mix (or use homemade gravy mix - recipe at end of post)
- 2 cups applesauce (I used unsweetened)
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Salt and pepper the roast while heating the olive oil in a large pan.
- Sear the roast on all sides, and place in slow cooker.
- Add cut up vegetables to slow cooker, nestling it on top of and around the roast.
- In a bowl, combine onion soup mix, gravy packet (or dried gravy mix), applesauce, and water together and mix well.
- Pour over vegetables and roast.
- Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.
Notes
Kim
This was a solid roast recipe. I probably wouldn't be able to detect the applesauce if I didn't know it was there, but it does add something subtle that works. Thickened the gravy with a bit of flour on the stove before serving, and it was yummy. I didn't have time to go the full 10-12, so I cranked up to high during the last two hours. The meat was tender enough, but I would have liked to see if we could have achieved 'fall apart' doneness. We still rank the Mississippi roast as our favorite, but this was a super easy one that is a definite make again.
Linda
This was really good! The applesauce did add an interesting flavor and a sweet moisture. I took the leftovers, and made it more into a soup/stew the next day. It was even better that way--the flavors really melded. I agree that an extra potato would have been made the dinner more balanced,who doesn't love those potatoes in gravy!
Sarah
Our family liked this roast, but what's not to like? The gravy was good, and I'm a sucker for a one dish meal!
Me
We really liked this. My husband is still holding a grudge that I finished off the leftovers for lunch one day. Sorry pal. You snooze, you lose.
Recipe modified from The Lazy Gourmet .
HOMEMADE GRAVY MIX
Ingredients (Makes about 1 cup dry mix)
- 3 tablespoons beef or chicken bouillon granules
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS (for each batch):
- 4-1/2 teaspoons butter
- 3/4 cup cold water
Directions
- Combine boullion, flour, and pepper.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
- To make gravy, melt butter in a small saucepan.
- Add 2 TBSP gravy mix, and stir one minute (until light brown).
- Whisk in water until smooth, and lightly boil about two minutes, until thickened.
Makes about 3/4 cup prepared gravy.
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