This Crock Pot Roast Recipe is one of our favorite Sunday dinners. It takes only 3 minutes of prep time and then the slow cooker does the rest! The chuck roast ends up being SO tender and full of flavor from the brown gravy, Italian, and ranch dressing mix!
Easiest Crock Pot Roast ever!
Sunday dinners are our favorite! It’s the one night each week that we are guaranteed a nice dinner with the entire family. Because we have church, we often make crock pot meals, and one of our favorites is Pot Roast. It’s simple, loved by the whole family and a great for any night of the week.
The pot roast recipe we’ve made for as long as I can remember is beyond easy! It takes just a few minutes to prepare (literally) and always turns out so tender and flavorful. Like I said – it’s easy and is so good, and the meat can be eaten for Roast or can be made and used for so many other recipes. We always end up with leftovers, so we make Green Chile Burros the next night for dinner.
What is the best roast for pot roast? Chuck roast is the best cut to use for pot roast. Look for a piece with marbling. These connective tissues will soften during cooking causing the meat to become tender, juicy and fall apart more easily.
How much pot roast per person? When serving meat as a main dish plan 8 oz per person. If you have big appetites or love leftovers, then plan 12 oz of meat per person.
How to Cook a Roast in a Crock Pot
I always buy my Chuck Roast at Sam’s Club. It comes in a pack of 2 and the net weight is about 5-6 pounds, so each roast is 2.5 to 3 pounds, usually. For a big get together you may need to cook both in the crock pot. For my family of 8, we can get by using 1 chuck roast. If I’m not using the other roast, I freeze it to use later that month. The seasoning we make to go over this roast is made with 3 ingredients (1 tablespoon of each):
- brown gravy dry mix
- Hidden Valley dry mix
- Italian dressing dry mix
NOTE: Since we make this beef pot roast often, I like to make this seasoning in bulk (usually 1 cup of each dry mix), and then I scoop out ¼ cup of the mixture to sprinkle over the top. 😉
Here are the instructions for one 2-3 pound roast! Begin, by placing the chuck roast in your crockpot or slow cooker. Pour ⅓ cup of water over the roast.
Mix together all 3 dry mixes, and sprinkle on top of the roast. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, or until tender. I personally prefer cooking on LOW – the meat seems to be more tender that way. 🙂
How do I add vegetables to a crock pot roast?
Cooking vegetables with your roast is as simple as adding them in the crock pot! Place your roast in the crock pot. Then, add your seasoning mix and water. Finally, add any vegetables you would like.
Typically the following vegetables are used:, diced or baby carrots, sliced onions, whole or halved small red or white potatoes, and diced celery, diced tomatoes. Cover and cook according to recipe directions.
Pot Roast Gravy from Drippings
If you want to make gravy to pour on top, it’s super simple. All you need is the following ingredients:
- roast drippings
- milk
- flour
Take about ⅓ – ½ cup of the drippings from the roast in the crock pot and add that to a small pot on the stove. Heat it up a bit, then add a TB of flour and a TB of milk. Keep adding a little milk and a little flour until it’s the consistency you like. Top off with a little salt and pepper!
Can pot roast be made in advance?
Pot roast can be made ahead of time. Once the roast has finished cooking put the entire pot, containing the roast and the juices, in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat remove the pot from the fridge heat the roast and liquid to your desired temperature. Remove the roast, slice, serve and enjoy!
Can I freeze a cooked pot roast?
If you have leftover roast, but aren’t planning to eat it with in 2-3 days stick it in the freezer for later. Place the roast and cooking juices in a freezer safe, airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to use it, thaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Place the meat and the juices in a baking dish, cover, and bake at 325 degrees F until the meat reaches the desired temperature.
Can pot roast be cooked frozen?
Yes, you can cook a roast from a frozen state. Make sure you do not preheat the stoneware. The frozen meat may cause an already hot dish to crack. Once you add your frozen meat to the stoneware add 1 cup of warm liquid. The frozen roast will need to be cooked longer so you’ll need to ADD 4 to 6 hours of cooking time on Low, or an additional 2 hours if cooking on the High setting.
Can pot roast be reheated?
Yes! Store any leftover pot roast in a covered dish in the refrigerator. Make sure to include any of the juices from the original cooking pot. These juices will keep the roast from drying out in the fridge. You can reheat in the microwave, but I prefer to reheat in the oven. I cover the pan with the meat and juices and bake at 325 degrees F until the meat reaches the desired temperature.
What can I make using leftover pot roast?
Depending on how you originally flavored your pot roast you can easily use leftover roast to create an entirely new dish for dinner. Try out some of these ideas: beef stroganoff, shredded beef taco, empanadas, pocket sandwich, patty melt, stir fry, roast beef sandwich, shepherd pie.
what to serve with roast?
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Asparagus and Tater Toss
- Potatoes Au Gratin
- Cream Cheese and Parmesan Asparagus
- Baked Parmesan Potatoes
For more beef recipes, check out:
- Beef Stroganoff
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Beef and Broccoli
- Beef Empanadas
- French Dip Sandwiches
- Dr. Pepper Ribs
Pot Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 beef chuck roast about 2-3 lbs
- 1/3 c water
- 1 TB brown gravy dry mix
- 1 TB Hidden Valley dry mix
- 1 TB Italian dressing dry mix
Optional Gravy
- 1/3 - 1/2 c drippings from roast
- 1 - 2 TB milk
- 1 - 2 TB flour
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix Brown Gravy Dry Mix, Hidden Valley Dry Mix and Italian Dressing Dry Mix together.
- Place chuck roast in your crock pot. Pour ⅓ cup water over your roast.
- Sprinkle Mix all over the top of your roast. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours or until tender. (I prefer cooking it on LOW - meat seems to be more tender).
Optional Gravy
- Take about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the drippings from the roast in the crock pot and add that to a small pot on the stove. Heat that up a bit.
- Then add a TB of flour and a TB of milk. Keep adding a little milk and a little flour until it’s the consistency you like. Top off with salt and pepper.
Notes
- I always buy my Chuck Roast at Sam's Club. It comes in a pack of 2 and the net weight is about 5-6 pounds, so each roast is 2.5 to 3 pounds, usually. For a big get together you may need to cook both in the crock pot. For my family of 7, we can get by using 1 chuck roast. If I'm not using the other roast, I freeze it to use later that month.
- I usually make the mix that gets sprinkled on top in bulk. I will mix 4 TB (or 1 packet) of each together and then place it in a baggie and just use as much as I need when I make this pot roast. That way, if I'm using the small packets, I don't waste the 3 TB that doesn't get used.
Please, where do you buy the ingredients in bulk. I was trying to figure out how to make a seasoning mix gift in a jar.
I would try Costco or Sams?? Have you looked online?
I love this roast recipe! the only change I make is to brown the roast first with oil in a frying pan, but that’s just HAbit from other recipes I’ve seen. I love how simple and delicious the flavoring is, and that I can add potatoes and carrots to the pot too and those get seasoned as well. The roast turns tender and delicious Everytime!
Great ideas! Thank you for sharing that! I love adding potatoes & carrots, too!
This roast is delicious! So simple and easy!
This is a family favorite in our house since I first found the recipe. We have this about once a month for Sunday dinner. It is so flavorful and falls apart. The seasoning mixture makes it amazing. I love how easy this recipe is to throw in the crockpot. It makes for an amazing Sunday dinner.
So yummy for Sunday dinner!! The meat just falls apart!
This roast has great flavor! I like to brown it first and it comes out tasting amazing. Thank you for another great recipe!
Can you add baby potatoes to this at the same time?
You sure could 🙂
A Sunday staple in our house!
Your recipes are amazing!!! Very easy to follow!!
Thank you for your sweet words. That means a lot! So glad you enjoy the recipes.
Total hit at our home! My new go to pot roast recipe. Thank you!
You are so welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂