Crockpot Seasoned Pot Roast and Veggies
This Crockpot Seasoned Pot Roast and Veggies takes a classic slow cooker dinner and gives it a serious flavor upgrade. A chuck roast is rubbed with a savory blend of herbs and spices—including a not-so-secret ingredient—then slow-cooked with potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and broth until everything is tender and deeply flavorful. It’s comforting without being heavy and perfect for busy days when you still want a real, home-cooked meal.
Gone are the days of bland, lackluster slow cooker meals. Inspired by America’s Test Kitchen‘s Best-Ever Recipes, particularly the Chuck Roast in Foil on page 6, I decided to take my pot roast to the next level. I modified their recipe and created a rub using herbs and spices that season roast to perfection.
While the quantities may differ from the original recipe, the result is a winning combination that promises incredible flavor.
Try this delicious pot roast recipe on one of your busy weeknights and enjoy the incredible flavor of this classic comfort food with fork-tender beef and delicious veggies.
Let’s take a look at how to make this savory spin on the classic pot roast recipe.
Ingredients
For this savory beef recipe, you need the following ingredients:
- 1½ teaspoons pepper
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 large baking potatoes
- 1 package of baby carrots
- 1 large onion
- 2-3 celery stalks, chopped, optional
- 1½ – 2 pounds chuck roast
- 1 ½ – 2 cups water, beef broth, or beef stock
Directions
- Mix together pepper, onion, garlic powder, parsley flakes, espresso powder, salt, and brown sugar.
- Lightly spray the crockpot with non-stick spray or use a liner. Add the carrots to the bottom, followed by the potatoes, celery, and onion. Tuck the bay leaves into the vegetables.
- Rub the seasoning blend generously over all sides of the chuck roast.
- Rub the roast rub on both sides of the meat and then place the meat on top of the vegetables. Pour water or broth over the top of the roast. Top with bay leaves.
Be sure to remove the bay leaves after cooking. Why? According to eHow, “the bay leaf has a bitter flavor when eaten and is difficult to chew.”
- Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
If you love hearty, home-cooked comfort food, don’t miss my other slow cooker favorites like Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings, Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup, and Ham, Green Beans, and Potatoes. They’re all easy, flavorful dishes that make dinner time a breeze.
Slow Cooker Seasoned Roast
Ingredients
Method
- Mix together pepper, onion, garlic powder, parsley flakes, espresso powder, salt, and brown sugar.
- Lightly spray the crockpot with non-stick spray or use a liner. Add the carrots to the bottom, followed by the potatoes, celery, and onion. Tuck the bay leaves into the vegetables..
- Rub the seasoning blend generously over all sides of the chuck roast.
- Rub the roast rub on both sides of the meat and then place the meat on top of the vegetables. Pour water or broth over the top of the roast. Top with bay leaves.
- Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours.
Nutrition
Video
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Storage
Store any leftover pot roast and vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Substitutions
If you’re looking to substitute potatoes in your slow cooker pot roast recipe, here are some alternatives:
- Sweet Potatoes: Swap regular potatoes for sweet potatoes to add a hint of sweetness and a different texture to your pot roast.
- Butternut Squash: Cubed butternut squash adds a touch of sweetness and vibrant color to your pot roast.
- Radishes: For a low-carb option, consider using radishes. They can absorb flavors during cooking and provide a different texture.
- Rutabaga: This root vegetable has a slightly sweet, peppery flavor, making it an interesting alternative to traditional potatoes.
- Red Potatoes: Red potatoes are a great choice for pot roast due to their thin skin and waxy texture, which holds up well during slow cooking.
FAQs
Cows that are grass-fed (and grass-fed) eat the diet that was naturally intended for them. As calves, they start out with their mother’s milk. As they grow, their diet progresses to grass. Cows are ruminants – animals that have four chambers in their stomach that are able to digest plant matter that would be relatively indigestible for most other types of mammals.
Cows were never designed to eat corn, which is what cows are typically fed when they go to confined animal feedlots to fatten them up for slaughter.
For humans, the benefit of consuming grass-fed beef, aside from knowing that the cow was more apt to have been raised the way nature intended, is that grass-fed beef has been found to be higher in vitamins A, E, and other antioxidants compared to grain-fed beef.
Grass-fed beef also tends to be lower in saturated fat and has as much as five times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as regular grain-fed beef.
Pot roast is a slow-cooked dish that benefits from tougher cuts of meat with higher connective tissue, which breaks down during the long cooking process, resulting in tender, flavorful meat. Some excellent cuts for making pot roast include:
Chuck Roast: One of the most popular choices for pot roast. It has a good balance of meat and fat, which contributes to a rich flavor and succulent texture.
Brisket: Often associated with barbecue, brisket is also a fantastic choice for pot roast. It has a good amount of fat, which provides moist, flavorful meat.
Round Roast: This cut is leaner compared to chuck, but it can still be suitable for pot roast. Slow cooking helps tenderize the meat and infuse it with flavor.
Bottom Round Roast: Similar to the round roast, the bottom round is a leaner cut that benefits from the low-and-slow cooking method of pot roast.
Rump Roast: While it’s lean, rump roast can be used for pot roast when cooked slowly. It may require additional seasoning or marinating for extra flavor.
Where To Buy Meat
When sourcing high-quality grass-fed meat, exploring reputable options is key to ensuring both the health benefits and the ethical standards associated with grass-fed farming. While local farmers’ markets and specialty butchers may offer grass-fed meat, online platforms like Wild Pastures provide a convenient and reliable way to access premium cuts right from the comfort of your home.
Wild Pastures
For a broader selection and the convenience of doorstep delivery, consider ordering online from trusted sources like Wild Pastures. Wild Pastures is known for offering high-quality, grass-fed, and pasture-raised meat sourced from small family farms. Here’s why you might want to explore this option:
- Diverse Cuts: Wild Pastures offers a wide range of cuts and meat options, allowing you to explore and experiment with various selections.
- Convenience: Ordering online from Wild Pastures, for example, brings the farm-to-table experience right to your doorstep. This is especially beneficial for those who may not have easy access to local farmers’ markets or specialty butchers.
- Subscription Options: Some online services offer subscription models, allowing you to receive regular shipments of grass-fed meat, making it easy to incorporate into your meal planning
If you want to give Wild Pastures a try, you can get $20 off your first order when you use my Wild Pastures affiliate code. We have been ordering from them for a while now and are really pleased with the meat and customer service. As with all subscription services, please read all the terms before signing up.
Last Bite
Leave a comment below… and tell me how your roast turned out! Did you serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, or veggies? I’d love to hear your favorite pairing. And don’t forget to share or pin this recipe – slow cooker magic is meant to be shared!
Proud ranchers wife here… Did you also know that in order for a grass fed only calve to reach slaughter weight, it takes double the amount of time on pasture? That doubles the amount of carbon emissions. Also all cattle graze 75% of their life and only are grain finished the last 4-6 months. The difference in those listed vitamins and minerals is not enough to impact health. All beef is high in those nutrients. The grass fed push is a marketing ploy and not conducive to feeding the world. In order to grass finish all the cattle in the US you would need a field the size of Wyoming. Those of us in the beef industry work hard with scientist and conservation experts each and everyday to do what’s best for the industry and the world.
They say u should brown ur meat before slow cooking it, yes or no for this recipe and why?
I don’t. Why? No particular reason.
I’m not trying to ask a stupid question and I don’t want to assume so this is why I’m asking. I have always been toughy to add water to the slow cooker after everything is put in, but I’ve seen in your instructions there is no mention of water at all, Do I add water or not so much ?
That’s a great question and I am glad you asked. I have updated the recipe – you can add 1 1/2 cups of water or beef broth to help keep the meat nice and moist.
@Lynda, thanks for the answer, I’m going to cook this this Saturday for dinner, will let you know how it goes. Thanks again
Thanks, John. I hope you enjoy it!
@John, add broth instead of water tastier
Nothing in this recipe is in proportion. Espresso powder? Really? Too many amateurs are posting COVID recipes and none of them have been kitchen tested. And, like all internet-posted blog recipes, there is always a couple of omitted ingredients and steps. But at least people are trying now. But would-bes: never take short cuts. Betty Crocker never invented any recipe that didn’t use its products as short-cuts to which you’d serve your grandmother (or perhaps by now, your great grandmother).
any alternative to the espresso powder? very interested in trying it and was hoping to find something similar that would bring the flavors out. thank you
I imagine you could use instant coffee. If I was going to substitute it, I would pound the instant coffee (with a mortar and pestle) into a powder and swap it out 1:1.