When you want a rich, comforting, hearty dinner, a classic Dutch Oven Pot Roast hits the spot. It’s a fantastic one-pot meal that makes enough to feed a family of four or five, with leftovers.
There’s a reason that we reach for comfort food during the fall and winter months. When the temperatures drop outside, these hearty, stick-to-your-ribs dishes help warm you up from the inside out.
Some of our family favorite comfort food recipes include Beef Bourguignon, Sirloin Tip Roast, and Slow Cooker Meatball Soup.
And right up there with these classic comfort food recipes is this Dutch Oven Pot Roast recipe.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
Cooking pot roast in a Dutch Oven is almost fool-proof! This is a great recipe for so many reasons.
- It’s a one-pot meal. That means fewer dishes!
- Most of the time is hands-off cooking.
- It’s an easy recipe that anyone can make at home.
- This is the ultimate comfort food. You’ll a have tender, flavorful roast with warm, hearty vegetables.
- Leftovers are great the next day! See some leftover serving ideas down below.
Ingredient notes
- Beef – Chuck roast is the best cut of beef for pot roast. It turns out so juicy and tender after cooking in the Dutch oven!
- Potatoes – Mini Gold potatoes work really well in this dish. You can also use Russet baking potatoes cut into smaller pieces.
- Carrots – I use about a pound of carrots, or 5 to 6 carrots, depending on size. The key is to cut the carrots to around the same size so they cook evenly.
- Beef Broth – use homemade or store-bought beef broth or beef stock.
- Red Wine – use a light to medium-bodied red wine, such as a Pinot Noir.
- Mushrooms – I love the richness of baby bella mushrooms or cremini mushrooms in this pot roast dish. But you can pretty much use any hearty mushroom you like.
- Onions and Garlic – Be sure to sauté these until softened in the beginning to create a flavorful base for the rest of the dish.
- Thyme – this is my favorite herb for pot roast. But you can also use tarragon, oregano, or add a bay leaf.
- Olive Oil – this is the extra-virgin olive oil I use to create a foundation of delicious flavor from the start.
Step-by-step instructions
After a little prep and sauté work in the beginning, most of this recipe is about hands-off cooking. Full instructions and ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. But here are some helpful cooking tips!
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef and sear it on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Then remove and transfer the beef to a plate and set it aside.
- Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté for 1 minute, just until slightly softened. Then add the carrots and potatoes and sauté for 3 to 4 four minutes.
- Return the beef roast to the center of the pot with the vegetables around it. Pour the beef broth and red wine over the roast and vegetables. It should cover the meat about halfway up. Sprinkle in the thyme.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast.
See? I told you it was mostly hands-off cooking! Pour yourself a glass of wine and let this roast do its thing while you wait.
- After 3 hours, remove the cover and add the mushrooms. Stir and allow the mushrooms to cook for 15 to 30 more minutes, just until the mushrooms are cooked.
- Serve immediately.
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tip
I like to add a pat of butter just before adding the mushrooms. The butter helps break down the meat and tenderize it even more – and it adds flavor – while the mushrooms cook
Recipe FAQs
Chuck roast is a great cut of meat to use for pot roast. It’s a large chunk of beef that is tougher, so braising it (searing the meat, then simmering in liquid for a few hours) actually allows the collagen in the meat to break down and tenderize it. It’s also got great fat marbling, which helps keep the meat moist and flavorful. Other good options include brisket or round roast.
This dish is fairly flexible in terms of the vegetables you can include. Try using any other fall or winter root vegetables, such as parsnips or turnips. You can also add peas at the very end along with or in place of the mushrooms.
🍽 Serving ideas
Since this is essentially a one-pot meal, all it really needs is a side salad, like this refreshing Cucumber Dill Salad, and some crusty bread to soak up the yummy juices. Try it with Homemade French Bread or Filipino Pandesal Rolls.
Got leftovers? They’ll go great cooked with eggs for a hearty breakfast. Or make a pot roast sandwich out of them!
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
While a pot roast will pair fairly well with almost any red wine, I love having this dish with a richer red. Go for a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Rioja, or Barbaresco.
More comfort food recipes
Dinner Recipes
One-Pan Garlic Rosemary Sirloin Tip Roast and Potatoes
Pasta Recipes
Tuscan Sausage Pasta
Chicken Recipes
Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Thighs
Pasta Recipes
Marry Me Pasta
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
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Classic Pot Roast with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, quartered (about 2½ cups total)
- 1 pound mini gold potatoes, halved
- 1 cup red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 teaspoons thyme
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef and sear it on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Then remove and transfer the beef to a plate and set it aside.
- Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté for 1 minute, just until slightly softened. Then add the carrots and potatoes and sauté for 3 to 4 four minutes.
- Return the beef roast to the center of the pot with the vegetables around it. Pour the beef broth and red wine over the roast and vegetables. It should cover the meat about halfway up. Sprinkle in the thyme. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 3 hours for a 3-pound roast.
- After 3 hours, remove the cover and add the mushrooms. Stir and allow the mushrooms to cook for 15 to 30 more minutes, just until the mushrooms are cooked. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In the 6th picture there is a square object on top of the meat. Is that a pat of butter?
Kris – yes, it is! I added a quick paragraph explaining why that’s optional at that stage :)
This is a delicious but simple comfort food meal that is perfect for lazy Sundays.
What a wonderful recipe. Hearty and comforting. Your step by step pictures were a great help.
I just got a new dutch oven, the first one! This is going to be the first recipe that I try it with! Looks amazing!
Such an amazing and comforting meal! The roast looks incredible paired with all those vegetables. Definitely perfect for the cooler weather outside.
That’s what I call comfort food. It’s the perfect Sunday supper!
Now this looks like the kind of comfort food that my whole family would love! That meat looks perfectly cooked.