This classic pot roast recipe can be made in the oven, slow cooker, or Instant Pot, and is fall-apart-tender with a lush 2-ingredient gravy for the best Sunday night comfort food dinner straight from my mama’s kitchen.
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“This was, without a doubt, the BEST pot roast I have ever eaten! The whole family-from finicky teens to even more finicky grandmothers- gave it rave reviews. Thank your Mom and keep these awesome recipes coming.” -Susanne, FoodieCrush reader
A Super Simple Pot Roast, Straight From My Mom’s Kitchen
This is my mom’s pot roast recipe. It’s the one I grew up with. It’s the recipe that started on the stove and finished in the oven as it perfumed our house and braised away, creating the most melt-in-your-mouth, irresistibly tender, and delicious pot roast.
With the gravy, I still can’t stop myself from sopping up with that extra bite of bread I told myself I wasn’t going to have.
You won’t find many recipes that use canned cream-of-anything-soup here on the blog, but this recipe is a fantastic exception. Braised in red wine and condensed cream of mushroom soup, I still can’t wrap my head around how these two singular ingredients transform into the lushest, savory gravy you’ll ever wish to ladle.
From tender meat to flavorful veggies to velvety gravy, this easy pot roast is THE BEST lazy cook recipe for any given Sunday.
PS. If I’m being honest, this isn’t my mom’s pot roast recipe. Well, at least not exactly. Her pot roast is even simpler than this one because she never added vegetables to hers. That was my idea. But after tasting mine, she has wholeheartedly approved. (You have permission to skip the vegetables too.)
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Break out the dutch oven. Use a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid or a dutch oven to take this recipe from the stove to the oven. The oven’s heat does all the work. You could toss the roast into the dutch oven and call it good, but searing the meat before going in the oven adds a whole lotta flavor to the entire dish.
Don’t dilute the condensed cream of mushroom soup with water. Get saucy with red wine instead. The combination adds depth and body to the gravy as it absorbs flavor from the meat and vegetable braise.
This recipe is extremely forgiving, where ingredient additions or substitutions are certainly acceptable. Adding vegetables and herbs to the pot roast cooking process not only enhances the flavor but adds more nibbles to eat when it’s done.
The Key Pot Roast and Gravy Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Beef chuck roast — Look for one that’s good a good amount of marbling on it.
- Vegetables — A blend of onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and mushrooms add fragrant flavor, texture, and make this one pot-wonder a full meal in itself.
- Condensed cream of mushroom soup — I typically avoid the processed ingredient shortcuts some old-school recipes suggest. But my mom’s pot roast is one of the exceptions to my whole food cooking rule. I mean, sometimes you just gotta step down from your smug perch and go with what mom says.
- Red wine — To avoid opening a new bottle just for cooking, I keep a box of drinkable red wine on hand instead. Use any variety you prefer. Merlot, pinot noir, cabernet, etc. are all good choices. You could also use beef broth or beef stock.
- Fresh herbs — Like rosemary, bay leaves, or fresh thyme.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper — Always!
- Canola oil — Olive oil would also work.
Heidi’s Tip: Use Beef Chuck Roast!
Because fat infuses flavor, the best meat for pot roast is always a well-marbled beef chuck roast. Choose a marbled chuck roast that’s between 3 ½ to 4 ½ pounds.
Chuck roasts need more cooking time to become fall-apart tender. Patience pays off with pot roast! As the meat slowly cooks at a lower oven temperature, the tough connective tissues soften and melt into the meat. This process creates tender, savory cuts of beef that are easily cut with a fork.
How to Make a Pot Roast Just Like Mom Used To
Heidi’s Tip: We like pot roast served over fluffy mashed potatoes, but if you prefer yours with potatoes cooked right in the mix, add 2 cups halved and quartered yellow potatoes or baby red or yellow potatoes with the other vegetables before going into the oven. You could also serve this over egg noodles or creamy polenta.
- Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast. Don’t be shy when it comes to seasoning the meat. I prefer the flakiness and flavor of kosher salt over table salt, which can taste more pungent and iodized.
- Sear the meat over medium-high heat. Searing the seasoned meat over medium-high heat creates a seasoned crust that adds flavor to the dish. Turn on the stove’s fan and let ‘er rip. Searing also adds bits of fond to the bottom of the pan for another layer of savory. Sear the top, bottom, and sides of the roast for the best results.
- One-step gravy making. There’s no butter and flour roux or extra steps to take when making the gravy. The gravy cooks right alongside—literally—the roast as it cooks.
- Cook the pot roast at 325°F. After searing the meat on the stove, low and slow in the oven is the yellow brick road to the most tender pot roast. Braising the meat in the gravy sauce on lower heat breaks down the connective tissue in this less expensive cut of beef, making it tender and delicious.
- Cook the roast for 3 ½ to 4 hours. Once in the oven, this roast is the poster child for hands-free cooking. Tightly fit with a lid, the roast cooks best undisturbed as the pot traps all the heat. Check the progress at the 3-hour mark, ladling some of the gravy over the meat as it cooks if you’re feeling like you need something to do. Otherwise, just let it go to do its thing.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Mom’s BEST Pot Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pound beef chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 6 ounces mushrooms , trimmed and halved or quartered
- 3 stalks celery , cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 carrots , peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ yellow onion , quartered
- 4 cloves garlic , peeled and sliced thin
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup , undiluted
- 1 cup red wine , any drinkable variety will do
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Season the chuck roast with the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat and add the chuck roast to the pot. Sear 3-5 minutes on each side or until browned.
- Add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, onion, garlic and rosemary to the pot. In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the mushroom soup and red wine until smooth. Pour over the chuck roast and vegetables, cover tight with a lid, and transfer to the oven.
- Cook in the oven for 3 ½ to 4 hours or until the meat is fork tender and pulls apart easily. Transfer the roast to a serving platter with the vegetables and gravy. Serve with mashed potatoes or buttery parsley red potatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve With Pot Roast
More Family-Friendly Sunday Dinner Ideas
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Jess
I’ve made a lot of pot roasts, and this one was PHENOMENAL!! We just had it for dinner served atop your mashed potato recipe. We’re still cleaning up, but I wanted to pop on here and leave a review. My husband was tilting his head back and closing his eyes while chewing. It was that delicious!! Many thanks to you and your mom for this fantastic recipe! I’ll definitely be making it again very soon. :)
Whaaat? Wow Jess! That’s a great compliment!!! I’ll let my mom know, and I’m glad your husband was in bliss too. Thx for the 5 stars!! Means a lot.
RDL
just looking at the ingredients made me want to try this out.. I used beef chunks instead of pot roast .. how do you feel the cooking time should be adjusted?? I’m going for 2 1/2-3… Opinion?
That would probably be about right! You can always test it at the 2 hour mark and see where it stands.
Maggie
Well, it just went in the oven at 12:30 and I’m nervous because the gravy is purple. Please say it’s gonna change! Or, does it end up the rich brown color in the picture…
Hi Maggie, purple gravy? Did you use red onions? That may have added color to it.
Sabina
So glad to find a recipe similar to my Mom’s!
Yay Sabina! So glad you found something familiar and loved!
K
Did mine in a slow cooker. Gravy was tasty but a very unappealing shade of pink. A Tblsp of Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce fixed that.
Maggie
Hi, what is Kitchen Boquet?
Kitchen Bouquet is a seasoning sauce that enhances sauces and gravies.
Lauren Carlson
So perfect! It was just the ticket for a cozy dinner party on a cold Autumn evening!
Glad you enjoyed Lauren!
M Gowling
This was a great recipe! I will definitely make it again! So easy and so flavorful!
I didn’t have mushrooms, and omitted the celery. I did add potatoes and rutabagas instead. I don’t think that changed the wonderful flavor of the soup/wine mix added to the roast.
Yum, rutabagas! I’vve never cooked with them before so I’ll have to try that!
AnneM
Wow, was this a great recipe! I doubled everything including the roasts(we had a large gathering) plus added quartered potatoes and Brussel sprouts, then an onion soup mix packet to the liquid. This is a great crowd pleaser!
Anne, I’m so glad it worked for you! Thanks for the comment and the 5 star rating!
Cathy
Can I use a round roast
Hayley
Hi Cathy! We think that should work fine, although round roast is leaner and you may have to adjust the cooking time.
Susanne Edwards
This was, without a doubt, the BEST pot roast I have ever eaten! The whole family-from finicky teens to even more finicky grandmothers- gave it rave reviews. Thank your Mom and keep these awesome recipes coming.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed!
Susanne
What can I say? Mom’s pot roast recipe is awesome! So easy to make, stock full of fresh ingredients and tastes out of this world. Everyone in my family, from teens to grandmother, loved it! So did our friends who had stopped by for a visit. Will definitely be making this again.
Linda L-N
We had this for dinner tonight…..fabulous & easy!!! Scaled it down to 4 servings. The only change I made was to add a tsp of “Better Than Bouillon-Roast Beef Flavor” (Love that stuff!) mixed with a little hot water to help it dissolve to enhance the beef flavor. A great fall/winter “comfort food” dinner. Make this….you won’t regret it.
Judy Grimpel
Absolutely delicious and so easy! I will make this again and again.
Diann
This was the best EVER pot roast I ever made. Simply beyond delicious, I add 2 types of mushros and red wine someone glad me xmas a few years ago. I will add to my collection. Yes, it was great over mashed potatoes.
Sabrina
craving a great pot roast without even realizing it, probably the change in weather, so thank you!
S Matteucci
Clicked print recipe, it called for a 32 pound chuck roast…
Becky
Is there anything I can substitute for the red wine that would work? I can’t have alcohol but I wouldn’t want to change the yummy gravy?
Hi Becky. Instead of red wine, substitute it with 1 cup of beef or chicken broth. If it were me, I’d probably add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar to give the gravy a little zing the red wine provides. Let me know how it turns out!
Annette Henderson
Is the canola oil used in searing the meat before putting it in the oven?
Yes Annette, drizzle the stock pot with oil before searing the meat.
Sam
What is your opinion on switching out the red wine for beef broth?
Stacia Garner
Could this be done in a pressure cooker
Hi Stacia, I’m sure it could be done in the pressure cooker. Brown the meat in the pressure cooker, add the veggies and gravy ingredients and set to HIGH for 60 minutes, then slow release for 15 minutes. Because none of the liquid will evaporate with cooking this way, the gravy may not be as thick. Also,bBe careful of how many vegetables you add to the pressure cooker, and don’t go over the suggested fill line.
Janet Hyatt
Hi,
Could this be done in a slow cooker?
Thanks!
Janet
Yes Janet, you could cook it in a slow cooker. Be sure to brown the meat first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours and low for 8. Enjoy!