Crock Pot Pot Roast with Cream of Mushroom Soup

Square overhead shot of pot roast with cream of mushroom soup and carrots and potatoes on a platter.

5 from 1 vote

Crock Pot Pot Roast with Cream of Mushroom Soup

A tender and juicy slow cooker pot roast made with cream of mushroom soup and a packet of Lipton onion soup mix!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword pot roast with cream of mushroom soup, pot roast with cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix, slow cooker pot roast with cream of mushroom soup

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 8

Total Time 8 20

Servings people

Calories 624kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

1 (3 lb.) boneless beef chuck roast
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup seasoning mix
24 ounces baby gold potatoes
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Pat beef dry and season with a little bit of kosher salt and black pepper on all sides.
Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place beef in the pot and sear for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until browned all over. Transfer beef to the slow cooker. Note: if you slow cooker has a browning/searing function, you do this directly in the slow cooker.
Pour the water into the Dutch oven; turn the heat down to medium. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. These bits add a lot of flavor to the pot roast! Remove from the heat. Whisk in the cream of mushroom soup, brown sugar, vinegar, and onion soup mix. Pour this mixture over the beef in the slow cooker.
Arrange the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme on top of and around the roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
Discard the herb stems. Shred the beef with two forks (it should practically fall apart when it’s done). Discard any big fatty pieces. Stir the shredded beef into the juices in the pot with the vegetables. Serve, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Video

Notes

- The drippings in the pot will not be thick like a gravy. If you want to make a gravy using the drippings, here's how you do it: melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. While continually whisking, gradually add 1 – 1 ½ cups of strained juices/drippings from the pot until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Continue whisking while the gravy bubbles and cooks for 1-2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Searing the meat before adding it to the liquid and other ingredients helps to brown the surface and enhance the flavor. A hot pan creates a golden, caramelized crust through a process called the Maillard reaction, and will also lock in the meat’s juices. Plus, the browned bits from the bottom of the pot add great flavor to the gravy.

- If time allows, it’s best to cook the beef on the LOW heat setting, which will result in the most tender pot roast. This allows ample time for the tough cartilage to break down. That said, the HIGH setting is a perfectly fine option when you need the roast done sooner!

- Why is my pot roast tough? Undercooked pot roast will be tough and chewy. If you’re using tougher or bigger cuts of beef (other than a chuck roast), you may need to increase the cooking time to give the meat fibers plenty of time to break down and become tender and juicy.

- Why is my pot roast dry? Cooking the meat for too long can result in a dry pot roast.

- Cooking for a Smaller Family? This meat freezes really well! I like to package leftovers in individual containers, label them, and stash them in the freezer for later meals. The shredded beef is delicious served on sandwich rolls, but it also works well on salads, tacos, stuffed in baked potatoes, in quesadillas, or on pizza! Get creative and enjoy the leftovers in a variety of ways.

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