This dutch oven pot roast recipe is comfort food at it's finest. The beef roast is cooked until fall-apart tender and the gravy with root vegetables is full of umami. Let me show you how to make a classic Sunday pot roast with immense flavor, but using simple ingredients. Nutrition info is provided with and without potatoes.
A slow cooker is great, but have you ever made a pot roast in a dutch oven? The great thing about a dutch oven is you can brown your roast in the same pot used for the whole recipe, which gives it tons of flavor thanks to the Maillard reaction. This means fewer dishes to wash!
Ingredients needed
Oil for browning the roast - My favorite neutral cooking oil is avocado oil, but olive oil or canola oil will also work great.
Beef chuck roast - This will be the most tender roast you can use for the juiciest and most flavorful pot roast. You could also use a round roast which has less fat. This also means longer cooking times and less flavor.
Tomato paste - Along with the savory beef, we are going to use tomato paste to give our pot roast and extra dose of umami.
Carrots, celery, and onion - These are a common addition to any classic pot roast recipe. We are going to use the carrots for the braising liquid and then again for the final dish.
Garlic cloves, fresh thyme, and bay leaves - more flavor enhancers for our braising liquid.
Beef stock - you could also chicken or vegetable stock.
Mushrooms and red potatoes - these along with more carrots will be our vegetables that we add to the pot later on to make this a one-pot meal. Of course, they are optional.
How to make dutch oven pot roast step by step
- One of the most important steps to having the most flavorful pot roast is to sear the roast in hot oil over medium-high heat until golden brown. The brown crust that forms gives the finished dish so much flavor.
- Remove the roast from the pot and then add the flavor enhancers. That would be the vegetables and herbs mixed with the tomato paste. Then the roast is added on top and the broth is poured in. The lid is placed and the pot roast is put in a 300F oven for 3-4 hours, or until the roast is easily shredding with a fork. If you use one of the less fatty cuts of beef, this could take longer.
- When the pot roast is tender, remove it from the oven and carefully remove the tender roast from the pot, leaving the vegetables. The remaining cooking liquid and vegetables are full of flavor so I like to puree it with a stick blender to make a sauce. For a less greasy sauce, you can skim off some of the fat before pureeing.
- Now it's time to add our vegetables that will make this a complete meal. This is a few chopped carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and quartered red potatoes. Stir them into the sauce.
- Add the roast back to the pot, place the lid, and put it all back in the oven to cook for 15-30 more minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender.
Why is my pot roast tough?
If your roast is tough, that means it has not cooked long enough for the tough connective tissues to breakdown. The cooking time of your roast will depend on size and type of roast. a leaner roast, such as a rump roast, will take longer to cook.
I've got several other simple pot roast recipes on my website including Pressure Cooker Pot Roast, Crock Pot Pork Roast, and Balsamic London Broil.
Perfect Dutch Oven Pot Roast
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Tip: Hitting your 20–30g protein per meal goal helps you stay full and supports muscle.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 to 3 pound beef chuck roast, cut in half against the grain
- Kosher salt and Black pepper
- 4 medium carrots, cut into chunks (divided)
- 2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
- ½ large yellow onion, cut into chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- small bunch of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups beef stock
- 3 to 4 ounces shitake or baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
- 1 pound small red potatoes, quartered (optional)
Equipment
- Large dutch oven (at least a 5 quart with a tight-fitting lid)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 300F (150C) and adjust the bottom rack to the lowest position and adjust the upper rack high enough to allow the dutch oven to fit between the two racks.
- Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Season the roast on both sides generously with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pot and when it starts to shimmer, add the roast. Sear the roast for a few minutes on both sides, until a brown crust forms. Remove the roast from the pot to a large plate and set aside.
- Turn off the heat and add half of the chopped carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the tomato paste and to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the thyme and bay leaves. Add the roast back to the pot along with any juices. Pour in the beef stock.
- Place the lid on the pot and carefully put in the oven. Cook in the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the roast shreds easily with a fork.
- Remove the roast from the oven and increase the temperature to 350F (175C). Carefully remove the lid and use tongs to remove the roast from the pot to a large plate and set aside. Remove the thyme bunch and the bay leaves and discard. Use an immersion blender to blend the remaining cooking liquid and vegetables to form a smooth sauce. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher to roughly mash the vegetables. For a less greasy sauce, use a large spoon to skim off some of the liquid fat from the top of the cooking liquid prior to blending.
- Stir the remaining chopped carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms into the sauce. Add the roast back to the pot, place the lid, and put back in the oven for 15-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender.
- When done, use 2 forks to shred the roast into the vegetables and gravy and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Val says
so so good: I didn't have red potatoes so cut up some russets (too big and took a long time to cook. ). Next time I plan to spoon this delish meal on top of mashed potatoes. Yummy comfort food spiced perfectly.
Helen Mathis says
Can this recipe be cooked in a crockpot?
Eileen says
Could you do this in instant Pot, slow cooker setting?
Jennifer Banz says
Yes that will work!