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Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast is a melt-in-your-mouth tender beef roast prepared in the slow cooker with potatoes and carrots. This hearty meal is easy enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for a Sunday dinner.
Easy Pot Roast Dinner
There’s nothing like a juicy, fall-apart tender pot roast. It’s a nourishing, comforting meal that can be as simple or as elegant as you like. This one is prepared in the crockpot, with the most tender potatoes and carrots, plus rich balsamic gravy. Honestly, I think I may have officially found our favorite pot roast recipe. No, joke. It’s all in the marinade. The balsamic vinegar and seasonings are truly scrumptious – you’ll want to pick up the bowl and slurp it up.
I think this crockpot pot roast is the perfect Sunday dinner. You can put it together in the morning and come back to it at dinnertime.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Just as in my popular roasted pork tenderloin recipe (and for almost all my marinades), I start with my favorite balsamic marinade. In this recipe, the marinade is the base for a killer balsamic gravy. It starts with whisking together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, beef broth, Dijon mustard, and a few other flavorful goodies… and it ends up with one mouthwatering meal!
- Potatoes: Cut the potatoes in half, if using small potatoes like I do, or into quarters if you are using larger potatoes.
- Carrots: Using baby carrots makes this recipe so easy! You can also peel and cut whole carrots.
- Beef Roast: Rump roast is perfect, or you could use another braising cut like chuck roast.
- Garlic: Peel a few garlic cloves, and cut them in half.
- Olive Oil: I used extra virgin olive oil, but any cooking oil will work here.
- Balsamic Vinegar: I used STAR balsamic vinegar of Modena.
- Beef Broth: Low-sodium beef broth is my go-to, but you could use regular beef broth or even vegetable broth.
- Dijon Mustard: This is one of my secret weapons for adding flavor to a sauce or gravy! Dijon mustard is tangy and has a wine-like depth to it that works really well in this recipe.
- Brown Sugar: To balance the vinegar and mustard, and to bring out the flavor of the beef.
- Dried Herbs: A blend of oregano, thyme, basil, salt, and black pepper adds flavor and fragrance.
- Nutmeg: You might associate nutmeg with desserts, but shaking a tiny bit of nutmeg into robust beef dishes is another secret weapon for adding depth and nuance. Don’t worry – it won’t taste like a dessert at all.
Recipe Tips
- Avoid Tender Cuts: You might think that using a tender cut of beef would be even better than a chuck roast or rump roast in this recipe, but the low and slow cooking method will actually ruin more tender cuts. So skip the rib roasts and tenderloin, and stick with the more tough (and affordable) cuts that work well with slow cooking.
- Add Tomato Paste: Along with Dijon mustard, tomato paste is one of my go-to ingredients for adding depth to a beefy dish. Stir a couple of tablespoons into your sauce and enjoy!
- Thicken the Gravy: If you would like to thicken the sauce into a homestyle gravy, all you need is a simple cornstarch slurry. Just mix a tablespoon or so of cornstarch with an equal amount of water, and whisk or stir with a fork until smooth. Then stir that mixture into the sauce about 20 minutes before the pot roast is done cooking. The gravy will be thick and perfect for drizzling over the slices of beef.
- Hold the veggies: If you’d rather serve your pot roast over mashed potatoes, you can skip adding the potatoes (or even the carrots) to the slow cooker. Just cook the roast with the onions and gravy, then spoon it all over a pile of creamy buttermilk mashed potatoes for the ultimate Sunday roast.
Serving Suggestions
This pot roast dinner is hearty enough to stand on its own, but it’s even better when paired with a simple side or two. A crisp, flavorful salad like my avocado salad with tomatoes and feta cheese adds freshness to balance the richness, while tender asparagus with lemon butter sauce keeps things light and vibrant. And of course, no pot roast dinner is complete without something to mop up the gravy! Freshly baked dinner rolls or my buttery-sweet orange glazed dinner rolls are the perfect finishing touch.
FAQs
Pot roast is a braised beef dish, meaning that it is slow cooked with liquid to tenderize it. This can be done in the oven, but I like to do this one in the slow cooker. So convenient! Browning a pot roast before braising it is traditionally part of the process. While it is possible to skip the browning step, I almost always recommend browning the meat, because browning the meat and deglazing the pan adds a ton of color and flavor to both the meat and the gravy.
Both are totally fine, but if you have time, go for cooking the pot roast on LOW instead of HIGH. The gentler cooking temperature will make your beef and vegetables that much more tender and juicy. However, if you are short on time, feel free to cook on HIGH. The dish will still taste amazing and have a great texture.
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Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2 pounds small potatoes, halved
- 1 pound baby carrots
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 3 pounds boneless rump roast
- 6 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar of Modena
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup low sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep. Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the carrots and potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker; season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Prepare the rump roast. Make 12 incisions around the meat and insert a slice of garlic into each. Season the roast with salt and pepper.
- Brown the meat. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the roast to the skillet and sear on all sides until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and place the roast over the carrots and potatoes. Set aside.
- Make the balsamic mixture. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, beef broth, dijon mustard, brown sugar, oregano, thyme, basil, and nutmeg; whisk until well combined. Slowly pour the balsamic mixture over and around the roast. If needed, use your hands to coat it evenly.
- Cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours OR on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours.
- Let it rest. Remove the pot roast from the slow cooker and let it rest at least 15 minutes before cutting.
- Serve. Cut into thin slices and serve with the potatoes and vegetables.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pot Roast
If you’ve been with me for a while, you definitely know that I love using my crock pot. If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure it all started with that crock pot honey lemon chicken, then it was the turkey breast, and now this slow cooker balsamic pot roast.
- Prep the Slow Cooker and Veggies. Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray, and then place the carrots and potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
- Prep the Roast. Make a dozen or so small cuts into the roast, and stuff a slice of garlic into each cut. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. Then heat some olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the roast in the skillet and brown it in the oil for about 5 minutes per side. Place the browned roast on top of the veggies in the slow cooker.
- Make the Sauce. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients except the parsley (balsamic vinegar, oil, broth, mustard, brown sugar, herbs, and nutmeg). Slowly pour the balsamic mixture over and around the roast. If necessary, turn the roast and use your hands to coat the meat evenly in the slow cooker.
- Slow Cook the Beef and Veggies. Cover and cook the roast beef on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours. The roast is done when internal temperature reaches at least 145-degrees Fahrenheit, and the meat is very tender.
- Slice the Roast Beef. Remove the roast beef from the slow cooker, and let rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Then slice the meat thinly, and serve it with the vegetables and sauce.
- Enjoy!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Fridge or Freezer. Store your leftovers in a tightly lidded container in the fridge. They will keep for 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw them in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Reheat in the microwave or in a covered skillet over low heat until the sauce, meat, and vegetables are heated through. Don’t overheat, or the roast may become tough.
Absolutely delicious my husband loved it . Beef melted in the mouth.
Thank YOU! I’m very glad you and your husband enjoyed it! 🙂