Dutch Oven Pot Roast

This Dutch Oven Pot Roast is comfort food at its finest. It's cooked with potatoes and carrots which makes it the perfect one pot meal!

Nothing beats a perfectly cooked pot roast, am I right? Honestly, it's one of my favourite one-pot meals!

Pot roast is such an iconic meal, with good reason. It's incredibly easy to make.

Plus, since it's a mostly hands off meal it frees up time to do other things. Like binge watch your favourite tv show or scroll on TikTok for ages. Life is all about priorities!

My top priority is a great meal with minimal effort. This easy one pot recipe fits the bill.

It uses simple ingredients and is easy to prep and cook. Plus, it's all made in one pot which means very little cleanup. That's always a perk in my book.

Part of the magic of pot roast is due to the fact that you sear the meat in the dutch oven before cooking. All that deliciousness on the bottom of the pan will add so much depth of flavour to your meal.

Braising the roast ensures tender meat. Adding carrots and potatoes and cooking them in the delicious juices takes it to the next level. You will have a meal everyone will love. In fact, they'll be begging for seconds!

I hope you enjoy this dutch oven pot roast recipe as much as we do. It's the best pot roast recipes for family gatherings or dinner with friends.

 

Ingredient Notes:

• Oil - You can use vegetable or olive oil to sear the meat.
• Roast Beef - Chuck roast (beef chuck roast) works beautifully for this recipe. I'm in Canada and typically use blade roast when making pot roast.
• Spices - I like to keep it simple. A little kosher salt and black pepper is all you need for this recipe.
• Garlic - This recipe calls for fresh garlic cloves. If you don't have fresh garlic you can substitute garlic powder.
• Broth - I used beef broth for this recipe. You could also use vegetable broth if you prefer it.
• Sauce - This recipe uses Worcestershire sauce for added flavour. I recommend using it and not substituting anything in its place.
• Sugar - I'm a huge fan of using a little brown sugar when I make pot roast. It gives a nice sweetness to recipe which I'm a huge fan of.
• Vegetables - I used sweet onions for this recipe but use any onion you prefer. Fresh carrots are a must for this one. Cut them into chunks. You can use baby potatoes, Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes for pot roast.
• Slurry - This is optional. You can thicken the juices by making a slurry with cornstarch and water or broth. Instructions are below.
• Optional Fresh Herbs and Ingredients - You can also add fresh sprigs of rosemary or dried rosemary to pot roast. Fresh or dried thyme also work great. Bay leaves are another great addition for flavor. I just happened to clean out my spice pantry before making this and was awaiting new dried spices to arrive in the mail, so I kept this one simple. Tomato paste is great in pot roast too. Use really good quality paste if possible. A little goes a long way.

How to Make Dutch Oven Pot Roast:

1. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the dutch oven on the stovetop over medium high heat. Add the oil to it and allow it to warm up. While it is warming up, pat the meat dry with a paper towel, then season the meat with salt and pepper. Once the oil begins to glisten, you can sear all the sides of the beef in the dutch oven. Use tongs and turn it once each side is browned really well. If it sticks that means it's not ready yet, give it a few seconds and it will loosen up so you can keep turning it until all sides are browned perfectly. Once it's browned on all sides you can transfer it to a plate.
3. Toss the onions into the same dutch oven, and cook them over medium heat until they begin to soften and the edges begin to turn amber in colour. Use a wooden spoon to stir occasionally until they're almost ready. Toss in the garlic and cook for about one minute, stirring as needed.
4. Next, add a little bit of the broth to the dutch oven deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom. Scrape all around the bottom and sides till all the brown bits are in the liquid. This will add so much depth of flavour to the pot roast.
5. Add the rest of the broth, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar to the pot. Mix with a spoon.
6. Add the seared pot roast back into the dutch oven.
7. Now you can add the carrots and potatoes around the pot roast in the pot. If you're using Russet potatoes cut them into larger pieces so they don't get mushy. If you're using a really starchy potato I would recommend not adding them until the pot roast is about halfway cooked.
8. Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook for about 2 ½ hours. Carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Place the pot back into the oven and cook for another 30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and use tongs to remove the roast from the pot and place it on a cutting board to rest. Once it's rested you can slice it with a knife or use two forks to shred it.
10. Scoop out all the veggies onto a platter or bowl. Save the broth to make a gravy if you like. Or you can just thicken the broth with a slurry if you prefer.

How to Make a Slurry:

If you want to thicken the broth/juices at the end of the cooking process you can easily make a slurry with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water or broth. Add them to a small jar and shake it really well. Then, remove meat and veggies from the pot. Pour the slurry into the pot and cook over medium heat on the stovetop for about 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. When it comes to slurries it's better to start small and add more later if it's not thick enough. Once it's thickened pour it over the meat.

How to Store Leftover Pot Roast:

Store leftover pot roast, including some juices, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.

You can also store it in aluminum foil, using the same instructions.

How to Freeze Leftover Pot Roast:

Store leftover pot roast, including some juices, in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

You can also store it in resealable freezer bags, just be sure to remove all the air.

How to Reheat Pot Roast:

Oven Method Instructions:

This is my favourite method to reheat to reheat pot roast and vegetables.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place leftover pot roast and veggies in a shallow baking pan, then pour juices and/or added broth over top. Place in the oven, covered, and cook until heated through. If you're reheating smaller portions in shallow pan your cook time will be lower than if you are reheating a huge amount of pot roast and veggies.
2. Remove from oven, transfer to plates or a platter, and serve.

Stovetop Method Instructions:

This is my second favourite way to reheat pot roast and veggies. It works really well if you're in a hurry but still want to crisp up your veggies a bit.

1. Place a skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Add meat and vegetables to the pan, then add juices over top and some added broth if needed. Heat, stirring occasionally until everything is heated through.
2. Remove from the stovetop, transfer to plates or a platter, and serve.

Microwave Method Instructions:

Personally, this is my least favourite way to reheat pot roast and veggies. It will do in a pinch though.

1. Transfer meat and veggies to a microwave safe dish and add juices and/or added broth over top. Place in the microwave and cook until heated through. Use 1 minute increment initially, then switch to 30 second increments after to ensure it doesn't dry out.
2. Remove, transfer to plates or a platter, and serve.

Tips:

• If you're watching your sodium you can omit the salt but it does help tenderize and season the meat. Just keep that in mind.
• Try to cut the carrots so they are as equal in size as possible to ensure even cooking.
• Potatoes can be added right away if they aren't too starchy. If you like your potatoes firmer feel free to add them halfway through cooking time.
• After cooking the pot roast, place on cutting board to rest and tent the meat with aluminum foil.
• Meat can be sliced with knife or you can use two forks to pull the meat apart. You do you, boo!
• Always reserve as much of the juices and drippings as possible. That way you can use it over top of the meat, or make gravy with it.

More Comfort Food Recipes:

• Guinness Beef Stew 
• Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu
• Roasted Red Pepper and Italian Sausage Pasta
• Honey Baked Chicken and Potatoes
• Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers

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