Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: You won’t believe how good Italian pot roast is! This slow cooker beef roast is sure to become a family favorite (and it’s easy to make). The pot roast has incredible flavor and the gravy is amazing on mashed potatoes or polenta.
How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, 5 to 10 hours to slow cook
Equipment you’ll need: large skillet, slow cooker
Servings: 8
Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
The best pot roast! Fall apart tender and full-flavored, Italian pot roast may be our favorite way to prepare beef roast. Slow cooked until it reaches succulent perfection, this pot roast has everyone who tries it exclaiming, This is the best roast ever! My mother-in-law says it’s “out of this world!” Even my mom, who usually turns her nose up at any beef, likes it. I may have even seen her vying for the leftovers.
Braised. The beef is braised, which means the meat is browned on both sides, then slow cooked in liquid. Perfect for inexpensive chuck roasts, the slow cooking method breaks down the tough connective tissue, the collagen, and turns it into gelatin which gives the roast such a rich flavor and silky texture (a little science lesson for you).
So flavorful! If you’re of Italian descent, you may know this slow-cooked beef with tomato sauce as “stracotto de manzo.” There are lots of different recipes for Italian pot roast but most include tomato, and often red wine. I add a jar of roasted red peppers which cook down completely into the sauce, providing a wonderful layer of flavor.
Perfect for family dinners! You’re going to love Italian pot roast. I’m so excited to share it with you! It’s just perfect for a family dinner and once it goes into the crockpot, simmering for hours, it’s all hands off. The reward is mouth-watering, tender pot roast that everyone will just love.
How to Make Italian Pot Roast
Brown the beef. The beef is dredged in flour, salt, and pepper, and seared on all sides in a hot skillet. After it’s browned, put it into your slow cooker. This step is optional but we recommending doing it for two reasons: Browning caramelizes the surface of the beef which adds to the flavor of the finished product and the flour used for dredging helps thicken the sauce.
Add everything to the crockpot. Italian pot roast includes the trio of chopped carrots, celery, and onion, known as “soffritto.” I mix the soffritto with tomato sauce, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lots of herbs, and pour it over the roast. That’s it! Your crockpot will do the rest of the work.
Let it slow cook. Plan on cooking the roast for at least five hours on High, or 10 hours on Low. The meat should be fall-apart tender. If your pot roast is still tough, put the cover back on the slow cooker and cook it another 1 to 2 hours. It takes a long time, and (to an extent), the longer you cook it, the more tender it will become.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Italian pot roast with mashed potatoes, risotto, creamy polenta (make it in your Instant Pot!), or pasta. It’s great with spaghetti squash with Parmesan and herbs, too.
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless chuck beef roast: A cut of beef with a lot of fat marbling yields the most tender meat. We recommend a boneless chuck roast. It’s ideal for slow cooking. Look for a roast that’s about 3 to 4 pounds. I usually trim excess fat from the roast before cooking it.
- All purpose flour, salt, pepper, and oil: The meat is coated with seasoned flour and seared in hot oil prior to putting it in the slow cooker.
- Vegetables: You’ll need onion, carrots, and celery. I like to have large chunks of vegetables since this is a pot roast but you could also dice the vegetables finely so they melt into the sauce.
- Roasted red peppers: Buy a 12 oz. jar of roasted peppers.
- Tomato sauce: You’ll need a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce. I usually buy no-salt-added canned tomato products.
- Seasoning: Lots of fresh garlic, fresh parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, and bay leaf give this recipe so much flavor!
Recipe Variations
Truly, this roast is so good, I’d hate to change anything!
- Use stewed tomatoes instead of roasted red peppers, if you prefer.
- Traditional pot roast: Looking for a pot roast recipe with potatoes and carrots? Try my Instant Pot pot roast recipe or stovetop simmered pot roast. Red wine braised beef short ribs are pretty amazing too. Make Instant Pot short ribs if you’re in a hurry. We also love this oven braised beef.
- Not a fan of beef? Try this delicious chicken cacciatore! It’s easy and so delicious! Braised lamb shanks are another favorite. They are slow roasted in the oven and turn out meltingly tender.
Refrigerate: Italian pot roast is almost better the next day! Refrigerate overnight and reheat over medium-low heat on the stove.
Freeze: You can successfully freeze the pot roast, too, since it doesn’t have potatoes which tend to get mushy when frozen. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Free Meal Plans
Interested in weekly meal plans that include this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #4 and Meal Plan #41. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.
More Slow Cooker Meals
Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 to 4 pounds boneless chuck beef roast (large pieces of fat trimmed off)
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, cut in half and sliced into half moons
- 2 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 large celery stalk, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can (15 oz.) no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (see note)
Instructions
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Mix flour, salt, and pepper. Cut beef roast into 4 large pieces, coat in flour mixture, and sear until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Place in slow cooker.1 tablespoon oil, 3 to 4 pounds boneless chuck beef roast, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a large bowl, lightly stir together the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaf, tomato sauce, and roasted red peppers. Pour the mixture over the beef in the crockpot.1 large onion, cut in half and sliced into half moons, 2 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces, 1 large celery stalk, cut into 1 inch pieces, 3 cloves garlic, minced, ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 can (15 oz.) no-salt-added tomato sauce, 1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
- Cover and cook on high for 5 hours, or on low for 10 hours, until meat is tender. Turn crockpot off and allow the pot roast to cool in the juices for 15 minutes.
- Lightly shred the meat, or cut it into chunks and serve with the vegetables and sauce over mashed potatoes, polenta, or pasta.
Notes
- Variation: If desired, substitute a 14.5 oz. can of stewed tomatoes for the roasted red peppers.
- Storage: Italian pot roast is almost better the next day. Refrigerate leftovers overnight in an airtight container and reheat on the stove over medium-low heat. Leftovers can also be frozen for 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Nutrition: Calculated for 3 lbs. of beef (8 servings), along with the vegetables and sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
sounds divine.
It’s soooo good!