Southern Style pot Roast

Cooked pot roast with carrots and potatoes in a red pyrex dish on counter top.

4.99 from 52 votes

This Southern Style Pot Roast is a classic comfort food that is easy to make. Savory, hearty, and filling, this is the best recipe the whole family will love.

Prep Time15

Cook Time4

Total Time4 15

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 505kcal

Author: Amanda Mason

Ingredients

House Seasoning

1 cup salt
¼ cup black pepper
¼ cup garlic powder

Pot Roast

3-4 lb chuck roast, boneless
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
10 ¾ ounce can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup red wine
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon beef granules or 1 cube of beef bouillon
¾ cup water
8-10 new potatoes
3 carrots
2 celery stalks

Instructions

For The House Seasoning

In a medium size bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
You'll only need 1 Tablespoon of this house seasoning for this recipe. Store the remaining seasoning in an airtight container.

For The Pot Roast

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Rub 1 Tablespoon of the house seasoning on the front and back of the meat until well coated.
Expert Tip: Use your hands to ensure the rub is spread out evenly on all sides. You want to massage the meat with the seasoning.
Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Brown the meat, searing it on both sides until slightly golden on each side.
When done, place the roast in a roaster pan, dutch oven, or a 13x9 casserole dish.
Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet with the remaining juices from the roast. When hot, saute the onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until just caramelized.
Expert Tip: Make sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to remove all the browning left over from the searing and saute process. That's where a lot of flavor is!
Place the sauteed onions and garlic on top of the seared chuck roast.
Next, combine the cream of mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon, and water into a bowl. Pour the gravy mixture over the roast.
Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 2 hours.
If you like carrots, potatoes, celery, or any other vegetables cooked with your pot roast, you'll want to add them at the 2 hour mark. Chop up the vegetables and place them in the pan.
Place the aluminum foil back on the dish and continue to cook for another 1-2 hours. You'll know it's done when you can stick a fork in the roast and with a slight turn, the meat easily separates. If there is any pull at all, the roast needs to cook longer.
Top with the gravy it was cooked in and enjoy!

Notes

Boneless chuck roast is the most common meat used to make pot roast. I always buy my meat from my local butcher. You can buy it at your local grocery, but the tenderness and quality of the cut is so much more profound when you buy it from the butcher.
This recipe can be made gluten free if you use a gluten free cream of mushroom soup and bouillon granules. Pacifico Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup is gluten free and delicious. I've also had great luck with these gluten free beef granules. Worcestershire is gluten free.
Expert Tip: Leave the peelings on your vegetables so you can get extra nutritional value!
I typically don't stick to a time when making this recipe. I do the fork test around hour 4. To do the fork test, place a fork in the center of the meat and turn. If the meat is falling apart, your roast is done.
If you choose to add carrots and potatoes, leave the peelings on. The peelings house a ton of nutrients.
Leftover pot roast is excellent the next day on sandwiches. Or, use the leftover meat for a lunch bowl! Add some cooked rice and steamed vegetables with a little bit of gravy and you've got yourself an amazing lunch or dinner!

Nutrition