Sunday Pot Roast
This Sunday Pot Roast starts with a beautifully seared chuck roast that gets braised low and slow with onions, garlic, fresh herbs, carrots, and potatoes until the beef is fall-apart tender and the vegetables are soaking up all that rich, savory broth. The whole house will smell absolutely incredible!
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Why You’ll Love This Sunday Pot Roast
It’s the ultimate comfort food. Tender beef, buttery potatoes, sweet carrots, and a rich broth all in one pot. It doesn’t get much better than that.
The beef is incredibly tender. Chuck roast is made for low-and-slow cooking. After a few hours in the oven, it becomes so tender you can pull it apart with a fork.
Everything cooks in one pot. The roast, vegetables, herbs, and broth all cook together, which means tons of flavor and very little cleanup.
The leftovers are just as good. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, shred the beef and warm it up with some of the broth. It makes an amazing next-day lunch.
Ingredient Notes
Chuck roast: Look for a 4–5 pound boneless beef chuck roast with some marbling throughout. That fat is what helps keep the meat juicy and gives you that tender, fall-apart texture after a long braise.
Beef broth: This becomes the base of your braising liquid. The broth also gets incredibly flavorful from the browned bits left behind after searing the roast.
Potatoes: Yukon Gold, red potatoes, or baby potatoes all work well here. I like baby potatoes because they get creamy and tender without falling apart too easily.
Carrots: Cut the carrots into big 2-inch chunks so they hold up during the long cooking time. Smaller pieces can become too soft.
Fresh herbs: Rosemary and thyme add so much flavor to the roast. Fresh herbs work especially well here, but dried can be used in a pinch.
Tips for The Best Pot Roast
Don’t skip the sear. Get the Dutch oven nice and hot before adding the roast. You want a deep brown crust on all sides. Those browned bits left on the bottom of the pot are pure flavor.
Pat the roast dry first. A dry surface will brown much better than a roast that goes straight from the package into the pot.
Give it time. Pot roast is not a recipe to rush. Cook it low and slow until the beef is truly fork-tender. If it’s still tough, it usually just needs more time. Read below..
Cut the vegetables into large pieces. The roast cooks for several hours, so larger chunks of carrots and potatoes are less likely to become mushy.
Let the broth do the work. When serving, spoon some of that flavorful broth right over the shredded beef and vegetables. It keeps everything juicy and adds even more flavor.
Why Does The Pot Roast Need So Much Time To Cook??
- Connective tissue needs time to break down. Chuck roast contains collagen, which starts to soften and convert into gelatin during a long braise. That gelatin gives the meat its tender, juicy texture.
- Low temperature prevents the meat from drying out. Cooking at 300°F allows the roast to slowly tenderize rather than rapidly tightening the muscle fibers.
- A large roast takes time to heat through. A 4–5 pound roast is a good size roast, so the center needs plenty of time to reach the temperature where the connective tissue really starts breaking down.
- Tender doesn’t always mean “cooked.” The beef can be technically cooked hours before it becomes tender. If you cut into it and it’s still chewy or resistant to shredding, it simply needs more time.
A Few Add Ins To Try!
Add mushrooms. Toss in sliced cremini or baby bella mushrooms!
Add celery. Celery is a classic pot roast addition and can be added right alongside the carrots and potatoes. Cut it into 1 inch pieces.
Make it extra garlicky. Add a few more cloves of garlic if you really love garlic. There’s really no such thing as too much garlic here.
Add a little heat. A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes added with the herbs gives the broth a subtle kick without making the roast spicy.
Turn the leftovers into sandwiches. Shred the leftover beef and pile it onto toasted rolls with a little of the leftover broth for dipping. It’s so good!
What to Pair With A Sunday Pot Roast
This pot roast already has potatoes and carrots built right in, so you really don’t need much alongside it. I like keeping the sides simple and adding something green and fresh. A simple green salad, roasted green beans, or steamed broccoli are all great options. If you want to go full comfort food, serve it with warm crusty bread for soaking up all that delicious broth.
And if you’re serving this for a Sunday dinner, a simple dessert like apple crisp, chocolate cake, or homemade cookies is the perfect way to finish things off.
CHECK OUT A FEW OF MY FAVORITE DINNERS!
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken
- Dumpling Bake (Viral One-Pan Trader Joe’s Dumplings)
- Jalapeño Popper Tater Tot Chicken Casserole
- Marry Me Chicken
- Crock-Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
If you make this Sunday Pot Roast, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I’d love to hear what you think about it, or better yet, see what you’re cooking! Tag me, @fettysfoodblog!
Sunday Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1½ pounds potatoes (such as Yukon Gold, red, or baby potatoes)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven for 300 F.
- Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels. Generously season all sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the roast and sear for 3–5 minutes per side, or until deeply browned and a crust forms. Remove the roast from the pot and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced onion to the same pot and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Pour in the beef broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Return the seared roast to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots and potatoes around the roast. Sprinkle the rosemary and thyme over the top and add the bay leaves.
- Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 4–5 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and easily pulls apart.
- Remove the bay leaves. Skim most of the fatty oil from the top. Shred the beef into bite sized pieces. Transfer to a serving platter. Arrange the potatoes and carrots around the beef. Spoon the broth over the beef and vegetables. Season with any additional salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
