This Magic Slow Cooker Pot Roast is just that-magically delicious! (There are no Lucky Charms in this recipe…)
I used to think that the slow cooker was an easy way to great food. Just throw in all the ingredients and whaa laa! As I’ve become more educated in the world of culinary arts, I have realized that in order to get food that tastes really good from a slow cooker, most of the time there is some effort required in the preparation of ingredients beforehand. I have learned that no matter the recipe for pot roast, searing or browning the outside of the roast before slow cooking is necessary for outstanding flavor. The same goes for this recipe as well. But what’s nice about this recipe is that’s about it. Just a few store bought ingredients mixed together to create superior flavor!
I always get rave reviews when I serve this recipe to guests. A couple of simple cooking tricks elevates this roast to something special. Trick one is searing the roast in the same skillet you used for the mushrooms will allow the roast to pick up the mushroom flavors left in the pan. Trick two is collecting all that amazing flavor sticking to the bottom of the skillet and adding it to your slow cooker. At the end of the day you have an amazingly delicious meal waiting for you. Don’t you love recipes like that? With three young kids to take care of, I sure do!
The potatoes in this recipe are optional, but I like to throw them in so that I have a complete meal ready at the end of the day. For these photos, I used a bag of mixed potatoes, and a bag of colored carrots, both purchased at Trader Joe’s. They cook right in the savory gravy in the slow cooker. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on this recipe~ especially if you try it!
Magic Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Total Time: 10 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Description
This incredibly delicious beef pot roast will quickly become your favorite family sunday dinner because it’s so easy to prepare and so amazingly delicious! Seasoning and searing the meat before adding it to the slow cooker, along with including the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan into the gravy mixture really sets this recipe apart from the rest!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. carrots, peeled
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 packet of dry onion soup mix
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup sliced white mushrooms
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 (4 to 6 pound) beef roast
Instructions
- Place peeled carrots into the bottom of a slow cooker. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix packet, corn starch with 3/4 cup cold water. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 and 1/2 tablespoons salt and two teaspoons of pepper and set aside. In a 12 inch (preferably cast iron or stainless steel) skillet set over medium heat, add the butter and mushrooms. Cook until browned and soft, keeping the mushrooms in a single layer as much as possible. Pour out the cooked mushrooms into the soup mixture. Now return the skillet to the stovetop over medium-high heat.
- Pat roast dry with paper towels. Rub in the vegetable oil, then salt and pepper into all sides of the roast. Place roast in the hot skillet and sear all sides and ends to a deep golden brown color, about 2 minutes per side.
- Place roast into slow cooker over the carrots. Add 1/4 cup water into the skillet and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom. Pour the contents of the skillet over the roast, then pour the soup and mushroom mixture over the top as well. Place the lid on and set your slow cooker to low, 8 to 10 hours.
- When slow cooker is done, remove the roast and tent with foil to rest for about 15 minutes. Pour the gravy out of the bottom into a serving dish. Slice the carrots and roast to serve, passing the gravy around to pour over.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
