Very Easy Pot Roast Recipe (and I didn’t Burn the House Down!)

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it’s been a somewhat mentally challenging week over here in my brain as i’ve come to get settled with the fact that i am not striving for comfort (because i won’t find it on my new path).

 

that being said, i don’t need to make my week more challenging by cooking some sort of intensive meal for my husband as part of our relationship goals for the month. if you’re a new reader, i really don’t cook. that mainly falls to my husband who enjoys it and is good at it as opposed to me who finds cooking incredibly stressful and about as enjoyable as going to the dentist.

 

the slow cooker/crock pot has saved my life and made me feel like a capable human who can actually make edible things. yay! my in-laws surprised us with this house warming gift when they visited us over the summer so i made the easiest pot roast for fall ever last night.
Easy Fall Pot Roast Header

when i was looking for a few recipes, a few said i needed “brown the meat” before i put it in the crock pot so i did that. this was my first experiencing browning meat (i am not even kidding) and put way too much oil in and almost started a fire. that was exciting but regardless…the meat actually browned! yay!

 

i seasoned it with salt, pepper and some steak seasoning we had in the cupboard. my husband says when i use the word “cupboard” it makes him feel like he’s married to a 73 year old. that only makes me use it even more. i’ve also started saying “where my damn billfold?!”

 

later i found out you don’t haaave to do this so in the future this will make the recipe even easier because the less i have to interact with raw meat, the better.

easy pot roast recipe chuck roastmy favorite part of this recipe…you just dump in some dry onion soup mix and BAM-instant seasoning! it even says so on the box so you know it must be true. because our chuck roast/pot roast was only 2lbs, i used about half of one packet of dry soup.

easy pot roast recipe onion soupnext i cut up an onion and didn’t even cry, i peeled and diced some carrots and cut up my first celery. it was a big day in adult world over here people.

easy pot roast recipe crock pot

evidence of first celery cut so i can show my future kids and make them proud one day:

easty pot roast recipe slow cooker celery

i threw the onion/carrots/celery on top of the pot roast, mixed the soup with a half of cup of water and dumped that over it all and cooked it for 7 hours on low heat.

easy pot roast slow cooker veggies

since we work from home, we smelled the progression of this meal all day long and that was fantastic. it felt all warm and cozy even though it’s still in the 80s (and 90s this weekend!) in portland. i’m not wishing for fall any sooner than it comes because you never ever rush summers in portland.

after it cooked 7 hours, we totally could have eaten it because it was all falling apart and begging to be consumed but you can’t have a pot roast without potatoes. i think it might be illegal or something? i read online that if you put russet potatoes in there from the beginning they will turn to mush so add them later.

i cut up 3 russet potatoes and then strategically placed them under the pot roast (after the picture was taken) so they would get the best flavoring and cook even faster.

easy pot roast recipe slow cooker potatoesafter it was done cooking, my husband sampled the first bite and let’s all take a moment and remember that he’s texan so he knows meat-n-potatas and his mama is an excellent cook…

easy pot roast recipe with potatoes slow cookerhe said and i quote “oh my goodness babe! this actually tastes REALLY good! like real meat and potatas! it tastes just like my mom’s pot roast! you made a real meal-good job!”

best compliment ever because again, that lady can cook.

we ate on our new non-stolen patio furniture as we watched the sun drop behind the hills.

easy pot roast recipe slow cooker husbandnot to brag or anything, but i freaking made an edible pot roast! i felt so domestic and i needed a win. i may have even high-fived myself. you should also note that we are not using the stolen-now-returned wine glasses because when we opened the box one of them was broken so they need to be returned. #wineglassdrama

easy pot roast slow cooker recipe high five chelsea avery

delicious meal after a tough run yesterday that i cooked and no one got sick from (that’s one of my fears about cooking is that i will inadvertantly give everyone food poisoning).

our puppy may have gotten a little sample later…yes she is resting her elbows on placemats because she deserves comfort too.

easy pot roast recipe slow cooker puppyhappy friday everyone and let’s be friends on on pinterest because i’m going to continue to learn how to make more super easy recipes and save this one for later! super easy recipe down below.

questions:
1) what fall thing are you most looking forward to?
2) do you have a slow cooker and do you think it’s like magic?
3) favorite fall recipes? share below or tag me on pinterest so i can it to my board!

 

SUPER EASY FALL POT ROAST RECIPE:

ingredients:

2lbs of chuck pot roast
1/2 packet of dry onion soup (more depending on your flavor preference)
1 onion
2 celery sticks
3 carrots
3 medium sized potatoes

directions:

brown the pot roast (or just throw it in)
cut up and dice carrots, celery and onion and put it in on top of roast
mix soup with 1/2 cup water and pour over top
cook on low-heat in slow cooker for 7 hours

around 7 hours, cut up potatoes to 3/4 inch chunks
place under pot roast and cook on low heat for another 1.5 hours
remove and enjoy!

17 Comments

  1. Dawn Dunsmoer

    September 12, 2014 at 10:34 am

    Be aware that if you don’t brown the meat, it will be very red when done. This is OK, and in many parts of the world is called corned beef. I accidentally made it without browning recently, and it tasted great. Another way to brown (supposedly as I’ve never done) is to heat oil in the bottom of the slow cooker and turn meat in it when hot, before adding other ingredients. Just be careful adding water on top of it, put vegies in first.

    • Nick

      September 12, 2014 at 8:35 pm

      I have to disagree, corned beef has nothing to do with browning the meat before hand. Its all to do with the fact that you have a salt-cured beef, the pinkness from nitrites.

      • chelsea

        September 14, 2014 at 7:36 am

        ah good clarification nick, thanks! i still don’t really like pink meat so i suppose i need to do some browning!

    • chelsea

      September 14, 2014 at 7:36 am

      thanks for that tip dawn-i don’t think i’d like the pink meat so that is good to know! i will also have to try the oil in the bottom of the slow cooker!

  2. Paula Howley

    September 12, 2014 at 11:00 am

    Well done lady. I feel pretty domestic when I make a roast too- or a turkey- then I really feel like a grown up.
    1. last night I took some tea out to my hubby in his workshop while he was making a new knife and I was wearing my slippers and crunching through the leaves. I think THAT is my favourite part of fall, crunching through leaves. I also love the fall colours although here in the west we don’t get the spectacular reds that they do back east. that’s the ONE minus of being in BC as opposed to ANYWHERE ELSE IN CANADA.
    2.Oh my god the slow cooker must be one of the greatest inventions ever. I love it mostly because I don’t feel like I’m doing as much work. I have a killer recipe for you- it’s crock pot lasagna- super easy and way yummier than regular lasagna. It is literally my favourite meal now. I just happened to hear it last year on CBC.

    3. http://www.ricardocuisine.com/recipes/4972-slow-cooker-lasagna-

    Enjoy!!!
    Paula Howley recently posted…Public Presentations For Kids

    • chelsea

      September 14, 2014 at 7:39 am

      thaaaaanks paula! whoa, making a whole turkey?! my head will probably explode if and when i ever do that on my own. aww what a lovely scene of walking through those leaves while doing sweet things for your hubs. interesting that you don’t quite get the same vibrant reds in BC, i often miss the forests of aspen trees in CO that we don’t have in oregon!

      oh my goodness, thank you for that crock pot lasagna recipe! i cannot wait to try that!!

  3. Nick

    September 12, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    I always recommend browning the meat. You’ll get a lot of lovely flavors that you will miss out on if you don’t as it will never get hot enough to do any of those lovely reactions.

    1) still haven’t had summer so cant have autumn yet.
    2) I have a near hatred of slow cookers, much much prefer a pressure cooker anyday.
    3) Favourite recipie. hmm, depends on the season. Though im quite partial to a lamb tajine at the moment or szechuan beef.

    • chelsea

      September 14, 2014 at 7:43 am

      never knew that tid-bit about browning meat and when you tell me that i’ll miss out on flavors it makes me want to brown it so fiiiiine i will.

      hatred of slow cookers?! well it sounds like you are a fancy cook so for us folk that hate cooking or find it tedious-it’s magic. maybe one day we will advance to a pressure cooker 🙂 sounds like you make magical things!
      chelsea recently posted…Very Easy Pot Roast Recipe (and I didn’t Burn the House Down!)

  4. Rachel G

    September 12, 2014 at 9:37 pm

    hahaha, slowcookers are magic. That, and my sewing machine are the two appliances I miss the most since we moved. Dry onion soup mix is most definitely the magic key to amazing slow-cooker roasts. 🙂 I’m not really a kitchen-lover, per say, but I can’t imagine not cooking. My Mom is another one who can cook very well but doesn’t enjoy it so that was a chore that belonged to us kids as soon as she taught us how. I like the freedom that cooking gives, because as chef, I get to choose what’s for dinner…and maybe that’s why I try to cultivate a taste for meals that are easily thrown together…
    Rachel G recently posted…Chicken Milk

    • chelsea

      September 14, 2014 at 7:46 am

      i suppose it would be too intense to lug slow cookers and sewing machines to china, huh rachel? your mother also sounds like a brilliant woman who passed along the cooking to you kids when old enough! at least you know how to make delicious things even if you don’t enjoy it much. i hadn’t really thought about cooking giving you freedom, maybe that will make it more enjoyable for me.

      ps. chicken milk link-back…hilarious!

  5. Melinda

    September 13, 2014 at 1:42 am

    I lOVE my slow cooker! Years ago when I was a single mum and working shiftwork the slow cooker was a lifesaver and the only reason I was able to cook hot meals for us.

    Next time you have a beef roast, put it in the slow cooker and pour a large jar/bottle of salsa over it and leave it to cook for the day. Pull the roast out, let it sit for ten minutes before slicing. I usually thicken the leftover salsa and juices with cornstarch (ask hubby how to do that) and use it as a gravy. Delicious (and I’m practically a vegetarian!)
    Melinda recently posted…Q&A: What Do You Do With Your Hands?

    • chelsea

      September 14, 2014 at 7:47 am

      yay another fan on the magical slow cooker! that sounds delicious with pouring salsa in it! thanks for the suggestion melinda we will have to try that!!

  6. Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties

    September 14, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    hahaha this was the best recipe recap ever. I love it. Also, I really need to start using my crock pot again- so perhaps I will try your recipe! (PS what is the alternative to “cupboard”? cabinet? I think I use both interchangeably, and I’m not 73 sooooo yeah)
    Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties recently posted…How to save those little teeny individual-size samples

    • chelsea

      September 15, 2014 at 7:07 am

      ha! glad you enjoyed the recap, ashley! and yes…my husband refers to them as cabinets because he says ‘cupboard’ makes him think of a little old lady in a cottage. you should absolutely start using your crock pot again, i hear there are a ton of soups that can be made in it too so perfect for fall and soooo easy!

  7. Dee Dee

    September 18, 2014 at 9:58 am

    I love the slow cooker! I use it at least once a week-year round I rarely ever take the extra time to brown the meat. I never knew that about the potatoes and always throw them in with everything else. I do think they would be better and less mushy if only cooked for an hour or so. Think I will try that the next time! Also, I can’t wait to try the salsa suggestion you received. I bet that is fabulous! I always call them cupboards…never cabinets…lol!

    • chelsea

      September 19, 2014 at 10:16 am

      oh glad to hear you use your slow cooker so often dee dee and don’t usually brown the meat! yes i thought that was a good little tip about the potatoes but the trick is remembering to put them in! glad to hear you call them cupboards too-ha! i’m excited about the salsa one too-YUM! is it dinner time yet?

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