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
Sunday Dinner That Steals the Show
I don’t say this lightly, but this Italian pot roast might be my favorite way to make a beef roast. It’s slow cooked until it’s fall-apart tender, simmered in tomato, red wine, and roasted red peppers, and it fills the whole house with that “something amazing is happening” smell.
It’s the kind of dinner where people go back for seconds…and then quietly hope there are leftovers. My mother-in-law calls it out of this world. My mom, who usually skips beef altogether, has been known to eye the container in the fridge the next day. That’s when you know you’ve got something special.
What makes it special:
- So flavorful! If you’re of Italian descent, you may know this slow-cooked beef with tomato sauce as “stracotto de manzo.” I also add a jar of roasted red peppers which cook down completely into the sauce, providing a wonderful layer of flavor.
- Braised for ultimate tenderness. The beef is braised, which means the meat is browned on both sides, then slow cooked in liquid. 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).
- Perfect for family dinners! 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 the longer you cook it (to an extent), 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 ounce jar of roasted peppers.
- Tomato sauce: You’ll need a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce. I usually buy no-salt-added canned tomato products which taste exactly the same but have considerably less sodium.
- 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.
More Slow Cooker Meals
Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 to 4 pounds boneless chuck beef roast
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large onion
- 2 large carrots
- 1 large celery stalk
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 jar (12 ounces) roasted red peppers (see note)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can (15 ounces) no-salt-added tomato sauce
Instructions
- Trim the beef roast, removing some of the excess fat. Cut it into 4 large pieces. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Mix flour, salt, and pepper. Coat each piece of beef 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
- Prep the vegetables. Peel and slice the onion in half, then into half moons. Slice the carrots and celery into 1-inch pieces. Mince the garlic and chop the parsley. Drain and roughly chop the roasted red peppers.1 large onion, 2 large carrots, 1 large celery stalk, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, 1 jar (12 ounces) roasted red peppers
- In a large bowl, lightly stir together the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley, roasted red peppers, oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaf, and tomato sauce. Pour the mixture over the beef in the crockpot.½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 can (15 ounces) no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 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 ounce 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 pounds 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!
Made this for Christmas dinner.
It was delicious!
Made pasta as the side.
Delish! Thanks for leaving a review!
sounds divine.
It’s soooo good!