Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast comes together in minutes and will permeate your house with the aromas of rosemary, garlic and red wine while it cooks.
Whenever I leave town, I like to stock the fridge with plenty of ready-to-eat meals that my husband or babysitter can quickly reheat. One of the not-so-secret reasons Rich doesn’t mind me leaving is because it gives him the opportunity to eat his favorite foods (read: pizza and burgers). To break up the fast food rotation, Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast is one of my favorite meals to prepare for them. Seasoned with fresh rosemary, lots of garlic and dry red wine, this pot roast is always a huge hit and usually lasts at least a couple days.
Ingredients
- Beef roast: A rump roast, eye of round roast, or chuck roast are all perfect for pot roasts, as they have a very beefy flavor and don’t dry out easy.
- Kosher salt: The larger flakes help to stick to the beef and enhance natural flavors.
- Olive oil: A heart healthy oil to help sear and lock in juices of the beef.
- Garlic: Sweet, nutty, pungent, aromatic flavor added to the beef and broth.
- Rosemary: Woodsy, peppery, almost piney flavor that pairs great with the beef and sauce.
- Celery: Doesn’t have a very strong flavor, but does a great job soaking up the flavors around it as it cooks. Celery is also chalk-full of vitamins and nutrients.
- Carrots: Can cook slowly and not end up too mushy, and they add a slightly sweet element to the roast.
- Tomatoes: I’ll usually use a can of whole, peeled tomatoes as they add a lot of flavor and acidity to the roast. But you could use Roma tomatoes and do it all from scratch if you wanted!
- Beef broth: Adds a delicious and flavorful sauce for the roast to cook in.
- Red wine: Adds acidity, but also helps to tenderize the meat and keep it moist. You can use a pinot noir, merlot, or cabernet sauvignon.
How to Make Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
Start your Italian beef roast by seasoning the raw beef with kosher salt and black pepper.
Then drizzle some olive oil into a pan on medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides to lock in the juices.
Next add the garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs.
Followed by the chopped vegetables and peeled tomatoes.
Then pour in the beef broth.
And a bit of a dry red wine. You could also just add more beef broth if you don’t have wine on hand.
Season with some salt and pepper to taste.
Cover with the lid and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4.
To serve, remove the beef and let rest for about 10 minutes before either shredding or slicing against the grain. Serve alongside the vegetables and some mashed potatoes, and top with fresh parsley. Enjoy your Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast!
Shake Things Up
- Add more veggies. Like any roast, the vegetables you use is pretty forgiving. Add in some onions, potatoes,
- Use fresh herbs. If you have basil, oregano, or parsley, they’d be great additions to the roast along with the rosemary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you overcook a pot roast in a slow cooker?
Yes, you can overcook things in a slow cooker. It’s why I always recommend cooking on low for a longer period of time, as it lowers your chances of overcooking something!
Why is my roast still tough in the crock pot?
It could come down to a couple things. You might not have used the right cut of meat, it might not have been cooked long enough, or you didn’t use enough liquid!
Can you freeze leftover pot roast?
The beef itself, yes you can! I wouldn’t recommend freezing the cooked vegetables though, as they’ll just get mushy.
More Slow Cooker Meals
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If you need a hearty meal that you can set and then forget, this Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast is the answer to your prayers.
Your fork is waiting.
Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 three pound beef roast (chuck will produce the most tender result)
- 5 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled left whole)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 celery stalks (quartered)
- 2 carrots (peeled and quartered)
- 32 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup dry red wine (or additional beef broth)
- fresh parsley (to serve)
Instructions
- Take the beef roast out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature by sitting on the counter 10-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle roast evenly with 3 teaspoons kosher salt and all of the pepper.
- Heat a Dutch oven or large pan over high heat (or insert of Slow Cooker with Stove Top Browning) then add olive oil.
- Sear beef roast on all sides, rotating every 3-4 minutes, so that it forms a golden brown crust on all sides. Remove from pan and place in slow cooker if you didn’t use the stove-top-safe slow cooker insert.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker: garlic, rosemary, celery, carrots, tomatoes, beef broth, wine and remaining 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
- Heat on Low for 8 Hours.
- To serve, remove beef from slow cooker and let rest 10 minutes. Shred with fork is slice against the grain. Serve with vegetables on the side and fresh parsley.
I made this for dinner when my in-laws came over. I puréed some of the veg and stock and then added a cornstarch slurry after adding back to the pot to create a more gravy-like sauce. Served over Parmesan polenta. Everyone raved. My Italian MIL, an avid cook, later told me she has “dreamt of that dinner.” We couldn’t believe it was a crock-pot meal. This is my go-to and my husband’s standard for all other pot roasts. Thank you!!
This looks YUMMY!
I’ve never think about making Italian recipes in my slow cooker.
Can’t wail to try.
I hope you like it!!
My husband is on a sodium restricted diet. Does you have any suggestions for replacing the salt but not losing flavor?
Thanks in advance
I’m afraid I don’t – you really need salt to bring out the beef flavor. If you could lower the salt that would be fine.
I made this for Sunday supper for my family and it was a hit. When I took the meat out, I used the immersion blender to puree the vegetables and added a little cornstarch slurry. Turned the slow cooker onto high for about 10 minutes and we had a lovely sauce to serve with the mashed potatoes. Thanks!
That is such a brilliant idea! So glad you enjoyed!
This pot roast looks beautiful! I can’t wait to try it for an upcoming dinner party!
I hope you love it!
I love a good pot roast, and this one sure sounds delicious! I also think it’s super nice that you stock the house before you go. Hope you have awesome trips, and can’t wait to see you on one of them ;)
Thank you my friend – can not WAIT to see you!!
This pot roast does sound delicious. Hope you have lots of fun traveling.
Thanks so much Susan!!
Yummy! I need to get my slow cooker out and start getting used to it!!
I can smell it thru my screen!! Looks fabulous Liz!!
Thank you so much Cheryl!
I’m pretty sure I left my husband with a frozen pizza for the past couple of days. You definitely should get an award with this pot roast.
hahaha He probably would have loved frozen pizza too ;)
Great Sunday dinner idea! My family would love it!!
I LOVE a good slow cooker recipe!!! I’m tired of the same old beef roast coming out of my crockpot. Excited to try this Italian version :)
You and me both!! I hope you love this!
I don’t have a slow cooker but I wish I did! This looks amazing!!
You can always use your oven on a low temp as a slow cooker (like 200)
Baseball season officially started. So with Paul playing in his adult league, Trevor playing in Single A….AND Paul coaching little league. My life ceases to exist for the next several months. Bring on the crock pot recipes. LOVE this one!
Oh my goodness – girl you’re going to need lots of crock pot recipes!! I hope you try this!
I love slow cooking and I love Italian cuisine. Um, I think I will try your delicious recipe. Thank you, Liz, for sharing.
I hope you love it!
This looks amazing!
This is right up may alley! Love the tip to sear the roast first!
I hardly make pot roast, I did not grow up with it so I’m just not used to cooking it. Slow cooker seems the way to go! Larry and his parents would really love this. Looks delish!
I never do either!! It’s Rich’s favorite so I always make when I leave town. :) The boys go crazy for it.
Ooh! I’ll babysit if it means I can eat this for dinner ;)
DEAL! :)