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Sunday pot roast with carrots and potatoes
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Maggie's Sunday Pot Roast

A slow-braised easy pot roast recipe with potatoes and carrots in a Dutch oven — the Sunday dinner that taught my ten-year-old about patience. Fork-tender chuck roast with garlic, rosemary, and rich braising liquid.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword comfort food, dutch oven pot roast, easy pot roast, family dinner, pot roast recipe, sunday dinner
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Maggie

Ingredients

For the Roast

  • 1 boneless chuck roast (3-4 pounds) well-marbled
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks leave skin on
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into thick rounds
  • 3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 cups beef broth low-sodium
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce optional

Instructions

  1. Take the chuck roast out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Pat dry with paper towels and season generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the roast for 4-5 minutes per side until deep brown on all sides (12-15 minutes total). Remove to a plate.
  3. In the same pot, cook quartered onion for 2-3 minutes. Add smashed garlic and tomato paste, stirring for 1 minute. Pour in beef broth and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom (deglazing). Add Worcestershire sauce if using.
  4. Nestle the seared roast back into the pot. Tuck rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf around it. The broth should come about halfway up the sides. Put the lid on and place in the middle rack of the oven.
  5. After 2 hours, open the Dutch oven carefully and add potatoes, carrots, and celery around the roast. Replace the lid and return to the oven for another 1 to 1.5 hours.
  6. The roast is done when it falls apart easily with a fork (about 3 to 3.5 hours total). Remove from oven and let rest with lid on for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf and herb stems.
  7. Transfer the roast to a cutting board or pull apart in the pot. Arrange vegetables on a platter, spoon braising liquid over everything, and serve with crusty bread.

Recipe Notes

Chuck roast is the essential cut — don't substitute with a leaner cut. The fat and connective tissue break down during braising. Leftovers make incredible sandwiches — shred the meat, warm in braising liquid, pile on crusty bread.