One of my favorite hearty family meals is this slow cooker pot roast. It’s not only easy to make, but it’s also a perfect freezer meal. I love Meal Planning, and this is the perfect recipe to make and freeze for later.
The Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
I use my slow cooker every week. It saves me so much time and energy and I love that it does all of the work. Most of my recipes like this one are a dump and go recipe. You really just dump and go and let the slow cooker does the rest.
Meal planning can really make this recipe easy. It’s easy to cut up vegetables and prepare the meat before placing this pot roast in the freezer to make it on a later date. (I will show you how I do that below.)
This slow cooker pot roast is made with a good cut of chuck roast, fresh vegetables, and what I think are the perfect seasonings.
Do You Have to Brown a Slow Cooker Pot Roast?
It is my opinion that browning a pot roast before placing it in the slow cooker is better. You don’t have to do much. Just heat a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and add a little pepper and seasoning to the outside of the roast.
Browning the roast will help sear in the flavors and make for even more moist and delicious recipes. Do you have to brown a pot roast before you place it in the slow cooker? No, but it is an extra step that you will be glad you did.
Do You Put Water in a Crock Pot to Cook a Roast?
You technically don’t have to put water in the crock pot to cook a roast. Simmering meat and vegetables in their own juices will help bring out the flavors in your meals. If you want to learn more about slow cookers and how they cook, check out what Crock-Pot has to say about it.
Adding a few cups of beeth broth to this recipe never hurts, and I love that it just helps enhance all of the flavors.
What Do I Serve with Slow Cooker Pot Roast?
I love to add vegetables to the slow cooker with my pot roast. It adds so much flavor and keeps me from making any additional side dishes.
I also love to serve my pot roast with mashed potatoes, and this Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe that is one of my favorites.
Classic Side Dish Serving Options for Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- green beans
- mashed potatoes
- sweet potatoes
- salad
Low Carb Serving Options for Pot Roast
- substitute turnips for potatoes
- substitute cauliflower rice for rice
How to Make an Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast
We talked about it above, but it’s worth mentioning again that searing the meat before placing it into the slow cooker really enhances the flavors. It’s not a required step, but one you probably won’t skip after you do it just once!
One the roast is placed into the slow cooker, rub it with seasonings if you haven’t already seared the meat, and then surround it with the vegetables and beef broth. Turn the slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours. You could cook this faster, but I love how moist and tender the meat is after slow cooking for a long length of time.
Can I Freeze the Slow Cooker Pot Roast Before Adding it to the Slow Cooker?
Yes, in fact, this is one of my favorite recipes to prep ahead and freeze. One step I take before freezing is that I like to cut the meat into smaller portions. Not only does the bag freeze better, but it also consumes less space in the freezer.
How do I Prepare a Slow Cooker Pot Roast for the Freezer?
If I plan on adding any slow cooker recipes to my weekend meal prep, I usually prep them for early in the week or to freeze them for later. I find that placing a freezer liner bag into the slow cooker will help me prepare much easier.
I just add all of my vegetables and meats and then tie up the slow cooker freezer bag. I will then add that to a labeled and prepared freezer bag before placing it into the freezer to make on a later date.
What to Do With Leftovers of a Slow Cooker Pot Roast?
There are a few things I like to do with the leftovers from my pot roast recipe. If you still have plenty of vegetables and meat, add them to a container and save it for lunch or leftover dinner later in the week.
If you want to serve this differently, consider toasting some flour tortillas and eating the leftovers as a roast and vegetable roll-up.
I hope you enjoy this pot roast recipe as much as we do. If you enjoy meals like these, you might also enjoy:
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
- Slow Cooker Spicy Hot Wings
- Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- How to Meal Prep – A Simple Guide to Meal Planning
- Freezer Crock Pot Meals
If you like this recipe as much as we do, consider leaving us a comment and a 5-star rating. Is there anything you would change about this recipe? Let us know your thoughts and ideas as we value the input from our readers.
Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb chuck roast
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup baby carrots
- 1 medium white onion
- 3/4 cup celery sliced
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp Lawry's seasonings
Instructions
- [OPTIONAL] Sear the roast before placing it in the crockpot by rubbing the seasonings on the roast and then searing the meat on medium-high heat in a skillet with a Tbsp of olive oil.
- Season the roast and place it in the crock-pot is you haven't already seared the meat.
- Surround the meat with vegetables.
- Add in beef broth and sauce/
- Close the slow cooker lid and cook on low for at least 8 hours.
Notes
- Searing the seasoned meat in a hot skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil for a few seconds on each side will greatly enhance the meat and flavors.
- This is a perfect meal for freezing! Just prep it and freeze for a later date.
- Substitute turnips for potatoes to make this recipe low carb.
Marie@The Interior Frugalista says
August 27, 2015 at 09:18Yummy, just saw this at our linky party and had to pin it. Definitely making this soon!
Theresa @DearCreatives says
August 27, 2015 at 15:52Looks like a yummy recipe Jen. I always forget turnips but, enjoy eating them. Pinned to try this fall.
Karly says
August 29, 2015 at 23:06Fabulous dinner for busy nights! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Michelle James says
September 2, 2015 at 14:22This really looks so good in the pictures. I love this kind of meal on a cool, fall or winter day and I love the idea of making two and having one for later. You are so smart! Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty