Classic Beef Pot Roast

By Addie

If you're looking for a traditional pot roast recipe, try this 5-star, no-fail version. Cuts of beef that perform well for pot roasting go by many different names: Blade roast, cross-rib roast (or shoulder clod), seven-bone pot roast, arm pot roast, and boneless chuck roast are all acceptable cuts.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups coarsely chopped onion
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chuck roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove roast from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.

Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine, thyme sprigs, chopped garlic, beef broth, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is almost tender.

Add carrots and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf from pan; discard. Shred meat with 2 forks. Serve roast with vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.
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REVIEWS:

The best pot roast I have ever made! I doubled up on carrots and left out the potatoes but I will try them next time. I also deglazed my pan w/ the red wine. In hindsight, I should have increased the amount b/c I didn't end up with much liquid in the end. Still yet...it was wonderful!

Perfect. Classic like the name says. Plus, the perfect amount of juice and the onions just melted into a delicious texture. I followed the recipe, but was lazy with the veggies. I did not peel the potatoes and used baby carrots rather than chop.

This is unbelievable! I use dried herbs and then add mushrooms (dried gourmet mix that have been partially rehydrated) or fresh button or cremini mushrooms (cut in half). Five stars isn't enough! I keep making this over and over and have certainly shared the recipe!

Had high hopes with all of the reviews, but mine wasn't impressive at all. I cooked according to the times in the recipe, but my potatoes came out mushy. After pulling the meat apart and a couple stirs, most of the potatoes had disintegrated making the dish more of a stew. Don't know if I will bother trying again.

We love this roast, my husband enjoys the leftovers as much as the first time around. I sometimes leave out the potatoes and serve it with mash potatoes since the sauce is so tasty or you could sop it up with french bread, yummy. I think the thyme adds a lot. For those who thought it was tough, you must use a chuck roast, I prefer a shoulder roast, leaner roast will be tougher.

This is one of my top 5 "go-to" recipes. It is definitely the best pot roast recipe I've tried. I usually do it in the crock pot, browning the meat and onions in the morning and then cooking it on low for 8 hours. I have also done it on the stove (adding the potatoes and carrots 45 min before serving). The broth can be thickened with flour or cornstarch for gravy. Everyone raves whenever it has been served. A++

My favorite pot roast recipe ever. I substituted button and baby bella mushrooms for the potatoes and then served it with risotto instead. We used the leftover meat, vegetables, and liquid to make the most amazing beef barley soup. Yummy!

Excellent pot roast. Easy to prepare, used bottom round roast as it was on sale. Cooked it at 350 for 3 hours then left it in the oven with heat off until ready to eat another 30 min. Rave reviews.

This was fabulous! So easy, and so flavorful. It was a bit ambitious timewise for a weeknight meal, but well worth it. The only changes I made were substituting dried thyme for fresh (didn't have it) and omitting the carrots (oops! thought I had some but didn't). I served this with buttered egg noodles, but it would also be good with a green side, maybe Brussels sprouts or something.

This recipe is to die for!!! I was flipping through my old Cooking Light issues and decided to try this roast last night. Both my husband and I agree this is the best pot roast recipe around!! It serves 8 but we finished it together in less than 24 hours (makes wonderful lunch the next day). What's even better is how easy it is to make...Highly recommended!

We love this roast and have it a couple of times a month. Definitely cook it in the crock pot. I took other suggestions in the posts, such as adding more liquid (wine and broth) and garlic, and it always turns out great.

I make this all the time! My family loves this and any who has tried this says it's the best pot roast they have ever had!

After I browned the meat, I put everything in a slow cooker and cooked on HIGH for 6.5 hours. It turned out delicious! My husband and two young sons loved it! Excellent and easy to make.

You know.....I read a lot of reviews that say " I added this or I did this ". Don't do a thing, but follow the recipe and enjoy! A BIG 5 STAR recipe all the way.

I have tried many pot roast recipe's in my life time, but this one is by far the best. I even printed it out for my teen age daughter to make on her "dinner night" and it is one of her favorite's. You can't go wrong with this one.

My husband and boys loved this. I made the gravy a bit thicker with some cornstarch. Make sure you use a good wine, as this is the dominant flavor you will end up with. I used flank steak- it was the cheapest cut of meat I could find and it was awesome!

I didn't quite follow this recipe because I'm not a red-meat-cooked-in-wine kind of girl (sorry!). Instead of wine, I added a cup of gravy (used a gravy mix). SO GOOD!!!! I made mashed potatoes instead of tossing the taters in the pot... very delicious dinner for one of the coldest days in Raleigh. It impressed my friends... most 27 year olds don't cook like mama!

This is hands-down the easiest, best-tasting roast beef recipe ever!! I've made it four times for my family, to rave reviews every time. I use 2 lbs of fingerling potatoes instead of Yukon gold, and add a tsp of Dijon mustard to the wine mixture. Some garlic, also. It is just divine. And so easy. I will definitely make this again and again.

This was quite impressive for its ease in prep and hands-off cooking method! I used 1 t dried thyme for fresh sprigs and Cabernet Sauvignon for dry, red wine. I will try in crock pot next time to see if I get a more tender roast. I had to roast my potatoes/carrots separately because my covered roaster wasn't large enough. I preferred this as I achieved a crispier potato, but I may trade my preference for a potato soaked in the delicious wine/broth.

Very good! I don't love pot roast but I enjoyed this and my hubby and kids really liked it. A keeper.

Loved it! I cooked it 2 hrs before adding veggies. It was perfect. The broth makes a great "French dip".

The best pot roast ever! everybody loved it. It is now a regular recipe at home. I add some extra liquid when adding the vegetables, but the taste is unbeatable.

I'm not much of a red meat eater, and I definitely do not eat roast. However, my better half loves red meat. According to my hubby, this was great and the meat nice and tender from being cooked in the wine which filled the house with a delicious aroma while it cooked. I will be making this for him again. It was a great recipe to use up some of our White Satin Carrots, onions and Yukon potatoes from our organic farm share box.

Used an incredibly lean chuck roast (zero trimming of fat) and added additional carrots and bag of frozen pearl onions. I did insert some garlic slices into some slits I made into the meat. Haven't made a pot roast in years, but intend to make this one again...soon! It was fork tender and absolutely delicious.

This is the best pot roast I have ever made period from Cooking Light. It is perfect for just your family or serve it to company. Very juicy, moist and tender roast with vegetables that were tender but not overcooked. I did not vary the cooking times, temperature. I did use Melissa's brand baby yellow dutch potatoes vs. Yukon golds. I also used beef stock from Swanson vs broth. Seemed to give it a richer flavor.. As for the beef, I used a 2 lb arm roast tip cut. Absolutely cook this in a cast iron dutch oven. It was heaven on a single digit temperature night in the Midwest.

I must have gotten the wrong cut of meat, as this was not as tender as I'd thought it would be (Based on the reviews). However, the sauce and the veggies were great. I'll just choose a better cut of meat next time.

College Inn broth tastes great! It uses only the highest quality ingredients, plump chicken or tender beef, perfect vegetables, and just the right herbs and spices. This message is being posted on behalf of Del Monte and we hope that it is of interest for you.

I thought this pot roast was just so-so. Tasted like pot roast, nothing special. Actually, the wine did make it "special," but not necessarily in a good way. I used a Cabernet Sauvignon and it added a kick of sweetness that I could have done without. I found, too, that the potatoes cooked faster than the carrots. If I were to make this again, I would add the carrots at least 15 minutes before the potatoes. And, salt, salt, salt! I felt like I was loading on the salt before browning, but the dish lacked in saltiness.

This was absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again. I did not have fresh thyme so I used about 3/4 tsp dried. So impressive I would definitely serve this for company. I do live at high altitude so I baked it for 2 hours then added the vegetables and baked for another 1-3/4 hours. Turned out perfect. The only complaint was that we should have doubled the wine and beef broth so we could have had more of the juices for our meat and veggies!

This is my go-to pot roast recipe and my family absolutely inhales it. Chuck roast performs the best for me, but I do frequently use bottom round roast because my grocery store has it on sale more often and it is delicious, too, though not quite as tender. I often use larger cuts of meat as well and just add more veggies and liquid. I always have leftovers which I make into beef stew by adding some additional beef broth. My husband loves the leftovers as much as the roast. Highly recommend.

Wow, this was good. I never made pot roast before, but I followed the instructions basically to the letter (though I used more carrots and mashed the potatoes, wow) and it was really easy and tasty. Now I'm swollen and bloated with delicious meat and potatoes!

This was great! I was skeptical that 2.5 hours in the oven would make it tender, but shredding it with the 2 forks worked well, and the meat was moist and tender. I might let it go alittle longer next time, in the first round in the oven. Also, I used Chicken Broth instead of beef, and a cheap Shiraz. The cut I used was a 2.5 lb bottom round. It was really delicious and I'll make it again, maybe for company next time. I used my Le Crueset dutch oven which works great for this, and cleanup was easy.

This is the best pot roast I have ever made. It's easy to prepare and full of flavor. I made an additional small batch of the sauce in a saucepan while the pot roast cooked (wine, broth, thyme, seasoning). I found the pot roast's sauce to be sufficient but my husband was happy to have extra, particularly for the leftovers. I served the roast with some warm, crusty Italian bread - yum! I'll definitely make this recipe again.

Flavor is indescribable. I never follow the recipes with the exact amount as the recipe, but in the end is the same recipe with a personal touch. In Spanish its call sazon. Today I'm making it again with a little twist. Instead of chicken broth, I'm using soy sauce mixed with the wine, kinda like people prepare brisket in Texas. anyway, I let you guys know how it went.

Served to friends last night. Everyone raved about the tenderness of the boneless chuck roast. Great flavor! I'm no gourmet cook but the compliments on my pot roast really made me feel like a pretty good cook! I definitely will serve this classic delight again soon! I love the results!

This was really tasty. The only thing I did differently was add more beef stock - I used 3 cans and 2 cans of water because I wanted more gravy - I was using a 4 lb. roast. I also did this on the stovetop rather than in the oven. It was a hit with my husband!

I am not quite sure how such a simple recipe could produce such complex and delicious flavors. I only had a cheap bottle of zin and this came out amazing! All five kids and husband slathered their meat and potatoes with the "gravy" It was fabulous! My husband is not a fan of chuck roast either and he was back for seconds.

I tried this recipe actually as written and found it to be wonderful! I used Chianti for the wine and I will try a Merlot next time. I recently tried it with a sweeter red wine but I didn't care for that as well. I've also added mushrooms to the recipe and it came out delicious! This is now my standard pot roast recipe

I'm an avid Cooking Light reader and this recipe has to be my favorite! You would never know it was "light;" two keys to making this recipe outstanding is the quality of the meat and the flavor of the wine. Look for a nicely marbled roast throughout and don't be afraid to really brown it in the pan on all sides before popping it in the oven; all those browned pieces really help make the stock complex. Also, we have tried various red wines in this recipe, but by far Beringer Founder's Estate Cab. Savingon is the best to go with the roast. Once you pop the cork you have the rest of the bottle to go with your wonderful meal! This is definitely a put it in the oven and forget it meal; great on football sundays!

I LOVE this recipe it tastes WoNdErFuL! I did change a few things, Such as i use regular organic chicken broth and have doubled the ingredients so i have more of the cooking liquid because it tastes so wonderful. But did not add more potatoes and carrots. But i do add more onions. The organic chicken broth makes it taste a lot better than a organic beef broth. Never the less this is a wonderful recipe its the best pot roast ever!

Very easy and very very good! I added sliced mushrooms and a packet of onion soup mix to it when I tasted it and it was a bit bland. After that... pretty darn good. I only give 5 stars to recipes with cheese... however, a little shaved Parmesan on top might be good on this!


I agree that the carrots took longer to cook than did the potatoes, and I used baby carrots at that. Nonetheless, it was delicious. I tried to save calories by NOT eating bread with it, but what a loss . . . the sauce does beg for being dipped into with a crusty baguette. I will make this again. I prefer it over other recipes I have made for years in the crock pot.

No doubt about it...the best pot roast I've ever tried. I used a sirloin tip instead of chuck, and I used sparkling grape/apple juice instead of the wine, but it made delicious juice which I served over biscuits. It was a hit at the dinner table.

This is one of the best pot roast recipes I've ever had. And it's pretty easy, too. We usually enjoy it with homemade biscuits - definitely the perfect companion for the gravy! One of our favorite "cool weather" meals as it does heat up the house over that time.

First roast I made in my new dutch oven. The roast was amazing! Added some turnips that were delivered to me from my organic CSA. Delicious!

One of the best pot roasts I have ever made - definitely a keeper!

I don't enjoy meats cooked in wine. I think I'll try a different roast next time. It wasn't bad, just not my cup of tea.

This was so good! The smell of the wine, onions, and garlic, were so good I wanted to eat the beef raw NO KIDDING!! (Thank God I'm not an idiot, lol). I did not have a dutch oven and did not know if the red wine in my cabinet was dry or not, but I used it any way. I used my trusty cast iron skillet and double foiled the top, it turned out perfect. However, I am now in the market for a dutch oven!!! My meat was tender, flavorful, and went perfect over a bed of mashed potatoes!! Awesome recipe!

Simply wonderful! The best pot roast I have ever had. My children never eat pot roast, this one they ate. This one is a keeper

I usually do not like pot roast. This was amazing! I used a cabernet sauvugnon and YUM! perfect. Don't change a thing.

I love this recipe. The ONLY thing I would change on it is the temperature. maybe 250, or 300... it does cook too fast. but it makes the most wonderful gravy!!

My husband and I had this for dinner tonight, it was so tender, and tasted so good, we will be making this again.

Simply just put everything in a slow cooker and cooked in on low for about 8 hours. Delicious and easy! The meat fell apart.

Never again! I did everything exactly as stated in the recipe and have cooked roast before but the time on this recipe must be off. My roast was fully cooked in less than one hour and was very bland. I'm sticking with my southern living recipe!