A comforting, Easy Pot Roast is the perfect cool-weather comfort food recipe for your dinner menu and it’s absolutely delicious. It’s a hearty dish the whole family will love!

This Oven Baked Chuck Roast Recipe cooks slowly in the oven, where the flavors meld and the meat falls apart and grows more tender as it cooks.

Easy Pot Roast in a shallow white bowl with a sprig of thyme.

Why You Must Make

  • The aroma of slow-cooked beef, red wine, and herbs can brighten up even the dreariest day.
  • This easy pot roast recipe only requires a brief browning on the stovetop before the majority of the ingredients are added to the pot.
  • A few hours in the oven and dinner is served with very little hands-on time.
  • Adding some carrots and new potatoes to the mix during the last hour of cooking allows them to cook up in flavorful juices.

Ingredient Notes

  • Kitchen Staples: Olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
  • Chuck Roast – About 3 pounds, large pieces of fat trimmed
  • Cloves -You may want to wrap them in cheesecloth for easy retrieval before serving.
  • Bay Leaves – Make sure to remove them before serving.
  • Beef Broth – I like the Pacific brand as it’s not overly salty.
  • Red Wine – Use wine you would drink for the tastiest results, not “cooking” wine from the grocery store.
  • Chopped Tomatoes and Juice – 26.46 ounces; I used the Pomi brand (BPA-free packaging).
  • Yellow Onion – Large, sliced
  • Carrots – 2 pounds; peeled and cut into large chunks
  • Small Red Potatoes – 2 pounds; Any larger ones may be sliced in half.
Easy Pot Roast in a white bowl with thyme to garnish and thyme next to the bowl.

Recipe Tips

They work perfectly in any recipe calling for tomatoes, like my Thyme Kissed Tomato Soup Recipe and this chuck roast pot roast. Pomì tomatoes hail from Parma in Italy and have the fresh flavor of Italian tomatoes. Perfect for any recipe calling for canned tomatoes. I love using them for my salsa, pasta sauces, as well as this easy oven-cooked pot roast. Pomì has just launched its organic line, so look for them in your local markets.

  • PRO-Tip: Like salt, alcohol is a flavor enhancer. So adding red wine will boost the flavor and most of the alcohol will evaporate in the cooking process.
  • As mentioned above, use a wine you’d like to drink. “Cooking” wine won’t give you the best flavor boost.
  • Chuck roast is the perfect cut of beef for pot roast. It’s a very flavorful cut, but not what you’d want to serve grilled or sauteed.
  • PRO-Tip: To break down the connective tissue and become fall-apart tender, a chuck roast must be cooked low and slow. Allot a couple of hours for cooking.
  • Searing the chuck roast first in hot oil will start the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that provides a meaty flavor along with the classic brown color.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Type of Beef is Best for a Pot Roast?

Chuck roast, brisket, or bottom round roast have lots of connective tissue that melts away while cooking, making the beef super tender. 

What Temperature is Best for Cooking a Pot Roast?

325°-350° is the best range of cooking temperature for a pot roast. Follow your recipe, but it usually takes about 30-35 minutes per pound until done.

Why Is My Pot Roast Tough?

There are three main reasons a pot roast is tough. First,  you may have chosen the wrong cut of meat. Not all beef tastes great cooked low and slow. If you cook it too long or at too high a temperature, your pot roast can also turn out tough.

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Easy Pot Roast

Easy Pot Roast

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Yield 4-6 servings

A simple, delicious pot roast recipe where the oven does most of the work!

Ingredients

  • 3 pound chuck roast, large pieces of fat trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cloves (you may want to wrap them in cheesecloth for easy retrieval)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 box Pomì Organic Chopped Tomatoes and juice (26.46 ounces)
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 2 pounds small red potatoes, larger ones may be sliced in half

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º.
  2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear both sides, until well browned. Remove from heat.
  3. Add beef broth, red wine, cloves, bay leaves, thyme, Pomì tomatoes, and sliced onions. Place lid on Dutch oven and cook for 2 hours.
  4. Add carrots and potatoes and cook for another hour or until vegetables are tender.
  5. Shred beef into large chunks, discarding any visible fat. Remove bay leaves and cloves.
  6. Serve beef, carrots, and potatoes topped with pan juices.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 860Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 1136mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 8gSugar: 14gProtein: 62g

Calories calculated before fat removal.

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