Meat & Pork

Serving

Classic Pot Roast

Name: Classic Pot Roast
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Meat & Pork
Ingredients: 3 lb boneless beef chuck roast; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 yellow onion, quartered; 3 carrots, cut into large chunks; 2 celery stalks, cut into large chunks; 4 cloves garlic, smashed; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 cup dry red wine; 2 1/2 cups beef broth; 2 bay leaves; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 1/2 lb baby potatoes, halved; 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

A fork-tender chuck roast braised low and slow with carrots, potatoes, and onions in a rich red wine gravy.

210 minutes

Serves 6

Dinner

74 min prep

116 min cook

Contains common allergens

celery Wheat

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Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

7 steps

1
Preheat oven to 325°F. Pat the chuck roast dry and season all over with salt and pepper.
2
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat and sear the roast on all sides until deeply browned, about 10 minutes total; remove and set aside.
3
Add onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
4
Pour in the red wine, scraping up browned bits, and simmer 2 minutes. Add beef broth, bay leaves, and thyme, then return the roast to the pot.
5
Cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours. Add the potatoes, cover, and continue braising 45-60 minutes until the meat and potatoes are fork-tender.
6
Transfer the roast and vegetables to a platter. Whisk flour with a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid until smooth, then whisk into the pot juices on the stovetop over medium heat until thickened into a gravy.
7
Slice the roast, spoon the gravy and vegetables over top, and serve.

Classic Pot Roast — plated and served — Serving moment. How Classic Pot Roast looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

64/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 80

Kid-friendly 55

Weeknight-easy 49

Budget-friendly 76

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 31

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

780

Calories

64 g

Protein

30 g

Carbs

39 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Pot roast grew out of practical European and North American home cooking: take a tougher cut of beef, brown it well, then braise it slowly until the connective tissue softens into the gravy. In many households it became a Sunday or cold-weather meal because the oven did most of the work while potatoes and root vegetables cooked in the same pot.

Listahan note

This version keeps the classic structure: a deeply seared chuck roast, a wine-and-broth braise, and vegetables that go in at the right time so they taste like the gravy without collapsing. The flour-thickened pan juices turn the braising liquid into a spoonable finish instead of leaving it thin.

Technique cues

Patting the roast dry matters because surface moisture slows browning. A darker sear gives the gravy more roasted depth before any liquid goes in.
Add the potatoes after the first long braise so they absorb flavor but keep their shape. If they go in from the start, they can turn soft before the beef is tender.
Let the wine simmer briefly after deglazing. That short reduction concentrates the browned bits from the pot and keeps the gravy from tasting raw or harsh.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: While the roast sears, cut the onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes so the pot can move straight from browning to braising.
Make-ahead: Braise the roast fully, chill it with the gravy, then reheat gently the next day; the slices are often cleaner after resting.
Leftover move: Shred extra beef into warm gravy and spoon it over toast, mashed potatoes, or buttered egg noodles.
Cleanup rhythm: Deglaze carefully while cooking, then soak the Dutch oven after serving so the flour-thickened gravy releases from the corners.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

Boneless beef chuck roast

Braising cut

Purpose: Chuck has enough marbling and connective tissue to become tender during a long covered cook.

Handling: Pat it very dry and season all over before searing so the crust forms evenly.

Adaptation: Beef brisket or bottom round can be braised the same way, though brisket is richer and bottom round is leaner.

Yellow onion, carrots, and celery

Vegetable base

Purpose: These vegetables sweeten and round out the gravy while giving the finished platter substance.

Handling: Cut them large so they can handle the long braise without disappearing into the sauce.

Adaptation: Parsnips can replace some of the carrots for a more earthy-sweet flavor.

Tomato paste

Savory concentrate

Purpose: A small amount adds body, color, and a quiet tang that supports the beef gravy.

Handling: Cook it briefly with the garlic before adding wine so it darkens slightly and loses its canned edge.

Adaptation: A spoonful of crushed tomatoes gives a lighter, looser result if tomato paste is not on hand.

Dry red wine

Deglazing liquid

Purpose: Wine lifts the browned bits from the pot and adds acidity to balance the rich beef.

Handling: Pour it in after the vegetables and scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly while it simmers.

Adaptation: Use extra beef broth with a small splash of vinegar for a no-wine braise with a similar balancing effect.

Beef broth, bay leaves, and fresh thyme

Braising liquid and herbs

Purpose: Broth carries the beef flavor through the pot, while bay and thyme add a steady herbal background.

Handling: Keep the herbs whole so they season the liquid and can be removed easily before serving.

Adaptation: Dried thyme can stand in for fresh; use a lighter hand because it tastes more concentrated.

Baby potatoes

Starchy side in the pot

Purpose: They cook directly in the braise, picking up beefy flavor while helping make the meal complete.

Handling: Halve them so the centers turn tender in the final 45-60 minutes.

Adaptation: Yukon Gold potatoes cut into large chunks work well and give a creamier texture.

Technique notes

Use high heat for the sear and give each side enough time to brown before turning. Moving the roast constantly prevents the crust from forming.
Keep the pot covered during the oven braise so the roast cooks in moist heat. If too much liquid evaporates, the gravy can become salty and the beef may dry at the edges.
Whisk the flour with a little cooking liquid before adding it to the pot. A smooth slurry thickens the gravy more evenly than dry flour sprinkled straight into hot juices.

Ingredient swaps

No-wine braise: Replace the red wine with more beef broth and add a small splash of red wine vinegar near the end for brightness.
Richer gravy: Reduce the strained pot juices for a few minutes before thickening so the gravy tastes more concentrated.
Vegetable adjustment: Add potatoes later for firmer pieces, or add them earlier if you like them very soft and gravy-soaked.
Flour alternative: Use cornstarch mixed with cool broth instead of all-purpose flour for a glossier, lighter-bodied gravy.

Serve alongside

Buttered egg noodles
Horseradish mashed potatoes
Green beans almondine
Crusty sourdough bread
Cabernet Sauvignon
Brown ale
Unsweetened iced tea

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate the sliced roast with vegetables and gravy in a sealed container so the meat stays moist.
Reheat gently on the stovetop or in a covered baking dish with extra broth if the gravy has thickened too much.
Freeze the beef and gravy together; thaw in the refrigerator, then warm slowly and add freshly cooked potatoes if the original potatoes softened.

Equipment

Large Dutch oven with lid
Tongs for turning the roast
Wooden spoon for deglazing
Whisk for smoothing the gravy

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