This Easy Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast is super-simple to make and packed with a ton of flavor! Prep it in minutes and let it cook in your Crock-Pot all day.
Easy Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
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This just might be the easiest pot roast you’ve ever made! It’s so simple to make, only a few easy ingredients, and you just set it and forget it in your slow cooker!
One step I always do with my roasts (or any other big cut of meat) is to sear it in a hot skillet with a little bit of olive oil before I put it in the slow cooker. This gives the outside of the meat a nice finish, and helps to lock all the natural juices inside the meat, instead of letting them leak out as it cooks.
Searing is simple, just heat up your pan and oil, and put the meat in the pan. Cook it on each side for 2-3 minutes, until it is nicely browned. You’ll even want to hold it up and get the ends.
After you sear the meat, be sure to deglaze the pan. This is a very easy step, but it’s one that a lot of people leave out! Deglazing is so important. There is lots of good flavor and meaty bits that are stuck to the bottom of that pan. If you skip the deglazing step, you’ll leave all that flavor behind! Check out this post for a quick tutorial on how to deglaze a pan.
Once you have the pan deglazed, the hard part is over! Toss everything in your slow cooker and walk away! This roast will cook for 6-8 hours, until it’s fork-tender. If you can’t pull it apart with a fork, it isn’t ready yet. Put the lid back on and come back in 30-60 minutes. (Exact cooking time will depend on the size of your roast.
What Meat Should I Use for Pot Roast?
In this recipe, I used an arm roast. You could also use a chuck roast, a round roast (top round or bottom round), or a rump roast. Any of those cuts will do well in this recipe (or any basic roast recipe). Check out this article for more beef cuts you could substitute.
Enjoy!
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Printable Recipe Card for Easy Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3-3.5 pound beef arm roast
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ cup water
- 1-16 ounce bottle Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian dressing
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- While the pan is heating, season beef roast with salt and pepper, to taste.
- When the pan is hot, sear the roast for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the meat is golden-brown on each side.
- Do not turn off the heat on the skillet.
- Place the roast into a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Deglaze the pan with the water. Pour the water into the hot skillet. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape any "bits" off the bottom of the pan. Pour the water and any "bits" into the slow cooker.
- Turn off the heat on the skillet.
- Pour the Italian dressing into the slow cooker over the roast.
- Add the smashed garlic cloves to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the roast is fork-tender.
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