close up of a plate with roast beef, potatoes, carrots, bread and zucchini salad
Food

A Great Roast Beef–Perfect Comfort Food

I’m not sure if it’s cold where you are right now…but, the temperatures here are brutal. With a bit of snowy and icy weather in the forecast…it’s time for a great roast beef…perfect comfort food!

This recipe is one that is hard to change. It was one that began with my mother in law and then got tweaked through the years.

One thing that I have learned about a great roast is that low and slow is what makes a huge difference.

My mother made our “pot beef roast” in the electric skillet when I was growing up…crisco added and the roast seared on both sides and topped with potatoes, onions and carrots. The crispy bits of each of those were a delight. There really wasn’t gravy made from the drippings, but it was an entirely different dish than what I have come to know and love.

Which brings me to comfort food…

What does that mean to you? A great soup? A recipe that perhaps is more hearty and “comforting”? I’m with you!

I love a comforting soup, like the winter tortellini soup, a great sweet potato chili, chicken noodle soup, chicken enchilada soup, chicken and rice soup, or loaded potato soup…those are some of my favorite comfort food recipes.

So, as the forecast began to scream more cold weather, I thought it would be a perfect time to share this recipe with you all.

You know what I LOVE about this recipe, too, now that we are empty nesters? I begin with this “pot roast beef” of sorts for one meal…and then the leftovers become the BEST beef stew ever in the days that follow.

Now, you can use the “drippings” to make the best gravy…but, our favorite is to make the stew later!

First things first! Here’s where I begin. Gather the size and cut of chuck roast that suits you. The other ingredients that I begin with are Lipton beefy onion soup mix, beefy mushroom soup and an onion-sweet or whatever you have on hand works.

Ingredients for pot roast- roast, beefy onion soup, beefy mushroom soup, onion

This recipe is SOOO very easy…you just have to plan to give it enough time to cook and really make it really tender.

Again, low and slow is key to this comfort food roast recipe!

I am NOT kidding about the LOW and SLOW!. I tried to rush a roast over Christmas and it just didn’t come out being “fork” tender.

Begin with a large 9 x 13 pan or your favorite lodge dutch oven…feel free to add sliced onions to caramelize in the bottom. This is an optional step since you add a package of beefy onion soup mix later, but something about caramelized onions appeals to me. Your choice!

Sliced onion for the bottom of the roast
sliced onions in the bottom of a Dutch oven topped with a roast for making the pot roast comfort food recipe

Lay your roast beef in the center of the dish on top of those sliced onions.

Baby carrots and potatoes ingredients for the Pot Roast Comfort Food recipe

Surround the roast with peeled and quartered potatoes and peeled carrots. Feel free to add as many carrots and potatoes as you’d like. That allows me to stretch the leftovers into a beef stew later.

peeled and quartered potatoes

Next, season with a bit of salt and pepper.

Pour a can of beefy mushroom soup over the top.

Beefy mushroom soup poured over pot roast, potatoes and carrots for Pot Roast comfort food recipe

Sprinkle with one package of beefy onion soup mix.

Sprinkling of Beefy Onion Dry Soup mix over the pot roast before adding to the oven

Cover tightly with foil or a lid if using a dutch oven and place into a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. (I prepare mine in a ceramic lined Dutch oven and it turns out perfectly.)

Then turn down the oven to 275 degrees and continue to cook for several hours…depending on the size of your roast.

Usually this last step for me is about 5 hours to get the tenderest roast ever.

Seriously the best roast beef recipe and comfort food ever!

plate with roast beef, potatoes, carrots, crusty bread and a zucchini lemon salad.

Serve with your favorite salad and bread for the most comforting meal when this cold weather hits!

I love this recipe so much better than a “crock pot” version that seems to be floating in liquid. This retains its juices and just makes the loveliest version of “gravy” without adding any other liquid than the can of soup. The flavor is heavenly.

The Best Comfort Food Roast Beef

A wonderful recipe for a "pot roast" with potatoes and carrots that is a perfect comfort food meal and great foundation for a beef stew.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or 9 x 13 dish
  • cover for dutch oven or foil for dish
  • paring knife
  • can opener

Ingredients
  

  • 1 beef roast your choice on size and cut of chuck roast
  • potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • carrots, peeled
  • 1 can beefy mushroom soup
  • 1 package beefy onion dry soup mix
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 onion, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place sliced onions, if desired in bottom of dutch oven or baking dish.
  • Add roast on top of onions.
  • Surround roast with peeled/quartered potatoes and carrots.
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Spread one can of beefy mushroom soup over roast.
  • Sprinkle one package of beefy onion soup over the top of the roast and vegetables.
  • Cover dish- either with lid or tightly with foil.
  • Bake for 30 minutes at 350 and then reduce the heat to 275 degrees for about 5 hours…until the meat is tender and falls apart.
  • Serve with a salad and your favorite bread for a perfect comfort food meal!
  • Place the leftovers–if there are any–in a container in the refrigerator to make the best beef stew or hearty soup later!

Notes

This is the BEST and easiest roast or “pot roast” version that I have used for decades. It produces a tender roast with potatoes and carrots that has the perfect amount of seasoning and flavor. 
The KEY to this is to cook it low and slow…you just can’t cook it less…it will not be the tender roast that you want. 
***TIP: I often will use a bag of peeled baby carrots to save a bit of time with this recipe. I also add as many potatoes and carrots as I can so that there will be enough for the soup or stew with the leftovers.
**If you have leftovers, they are the perfect foundation for a hearty beef stew or soup! Perfect for stretching the budget…we get a great “pot roast” meal before a beef stew.  Depending on the size of your roast, we can get a meal for 4 on the roast and another round of 4-6 servings for the stew with one recipe. Perfect for not tiring of the same meal and stretching the budget a bit.
Enjoy!
Keyword beef roast, comfort food, pot roast, roast

I can’t wait for you to give this recipe a try and then let me know what you think.

In the meanwhile, be watching, because that beef stew will be happening next!!

I LOVE this Lodge ceramic Dutch Oven! I have a round one and an oval one and they are in constant use.

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