Slow Cooker Three Envelope Pot Roast

Slow Cooker Three Envelope Pot Roast – hands down the BEST pot roast EVER! Super easy to make in the crockpot and everyone LOVES it! Chuck roast, salsa, onion soup mix, au jus gravy mix, and Italian dressing mix. Serve the leftovers on sliders with a super delicious Creamy Chipotle Sauce. Leftovers never tasted so good!

plate of pot roast over rice with text overlay

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Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe

This Slow Cooker Three Envelope Pot Roast is a family favorite. I love easy slow cooker meals like this one. There aren’t many things better than walking in the door from work and having dinner waiting on you! This pot roast recipe was incredibly easy to make, and it tasted delicious! Tender roast slow cooked all day in salsa, onion soup, Italian dressing, and au jus gravy. We love the flavor from the onion soup mix and the zip from the salsa. This is comfort food at its best!

slow cooker of shredded three envelope pot roast

How to Make Pot Roast in the Crockpot

This three packet roast is super easy to make with only a few ingredients. Place the pot roast in the slow cooker. Whisk together water, salsa, onion soup mix, Italian dressing mix, and au jus gravy mix in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the pot roast. Cover and cook all day, until the roast is fall-apart tender. Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return the meat to the slow cooker and serve.

Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • What kind of beef roast do you use for pot roast? The most popular cut to use is a Chuck roast. You can also use brisket or round roast.
  • Do I need to pan-sear the meat before adding it to the slow cooker? Searing or browning the meat is not necessary. To brown the roast, heat vegetable oil or olive oil in a large skillet. Sear the roast for a few minutes on each side. Place meat in the crockpot. Use a little beef broth to deglaze the skillet and scrape up the brown bits from the pan and add to the slow cooker. Those browned bits are flavor gold!
  • Does pot roast get more tender the longer it cooks? Yes! Chuck roast, brisket, or round roast all contain connective tissues that will slowly break down into rich collagen as they cook in the crockpot. Collagen takes time to break down. Using the slow cooker method to cook pot roast results in a tender, melt-in-your-mouth, fall-apart beef.
  • Is this pot roast spicy? We did not think this roast was spicy. If you are worried about the heat, use mild salsa.
  • To thicken the sauce, add a quick cornstarch slurry. Stir together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Add it to the crockpot and cook on HIGH for a few minutes until the gravy has thickened.
  • You can freeze leftover pot roast for a quick meal later.
  • Feel free to add vegetables to the slow cooker – potatoes, carrots, onions, and green peas are good.
three envelope Pot roast slider on a platter

3 Envelope Pot Roast Sliders

This pot roast recipe is very versatile. Serve it with some cheese grits, mashed potatoes, or rice. It is equally delicious on top of nachos. Our favorite way to serve the roast is as slider sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls with some creamy chipotle sauce. OMG! SO good! If you want to take the sliders over the top, add some swiss cheese and pop them in the oven for a few minutes to heat them through and melt the cheese. One bite and you will be blown away!

Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this delicious pot roast:

Parmesan Rice Grits

Parmesan Rice Grits – SO easy and delicious! Rice grits, chicken broth, half and half, butter, parmesan cheese, and rosemary.…

Crunchy Romaine Toss

Crunchy Romaine Toss – CRAZY GOOD!!! Had this at a dinner party and everyone raved about it. I had to…

plate of pot roast over rice with text overlay

Slow Cooker Three Envelope Pot Roast

Yield: 8 people
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Slow Cooker Three Envelope Pot Roast – hands down the BEST pot roast EVER! Super easy to make in the crockpot and everyone LOVES it! Chuck roast, salsa, onion soup mix, au jus gravy mix, and Italian dressing mix. Serve the leftovers on sliders with a super delicious Creamy Chipotle Sauce. Leftovers never tasted so good!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (3 to 4-lb) chuck roast
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 (1-oz) envelope onion soup mix
  • 1 (0.7-oz) envelope Italian dressing mix
  • 1 (1-oz) envelope Au Jus mix

Creamy Chipotle Sauce

  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
  • 2 tsp creamy horseradish sauce

Instructions:

  • Whisk together water, salsa and seasoning packets.  Place roast in slow cooker.  Pour seasoning mixture over roast.  
  • Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.

Creamy Chipotle Sauce

  • Mix together and spread on sliders or use as a dip for wings or chicken fingers.

Notes:

2 packets of good seasoning italian dressing mix
  • I used a packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix. Do NOT make the dressing. You are only going to use the contents of the packet in the recipe.
  • Can substitute brown gravy mix for au jus gravy mix.
4 jars of salsa on the countertop
  • Our favorite store-bought salsas are Mateo’s, Kylito’s, Pace Picante Sauce, and Pace Restaurant Style Salsa.
  • What kind of beef roast do you use for pot roast? The most popular cut to use is a Chuck roast. You can also use brisket or round roast.
  • Do I need to pan-sear the meat before adding it to the slow cooker? Searing or browning the meat is not necessary. To brown the roast, heat vegetable oil or olive oil in a large skillet. Sear the roast for a few minutes on each side. Place meat in the crockpot. Use a little beef broth to deglaze the skillet and scrape up the brown bits from the pan and add to the slow cooker. Those browned bits are flavor gold!
  • Does pot roast get more tender the longer it cooks? Yes! Chuck roast, brisket, or round roast all contain connective tissues that will slowly break down into rich collagen as they cook in the crockpot. Collagen takes time to break down. Using the slow cooker method to cook pot roast results in a tender, melt-in-your-mouth, fall-apart beef.
  • Is this pot roast spicy? We did not think this roast was spicy. If you are worried about the heat, use mild salsa.
  • To thicken the sauce, add a quick cornstarch slurry. Stir together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Add it to the crockpot and cook on HIGH for a few minutes until the gravy has thickened.
  • You can freeze leftover pot roast for a quick meal later.
  • Feel free to add vegetables to the slow cooker – potatoes, carrots, onions, and green peas are good.

Steph

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two pot roast sliders on a cutting board with text overlay
slow cooker of shredded three envelope pot roast with text overlay
pot roast slider on a cutting board with text overlay

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Comments

  1. Wow! I’ve made a lot of roast in my life (I’m 63), but this has been the best one my husband and I have tasted yet! I followed recipe exactly and also made your Honey Garlic Green Beans. Both are now on my rotation 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

  2. Any suggestions on what type of crock pot I should get? We have the "Crock Pot" brand that has a 4hr, 6hr, 8hr, and 10hr settings on it. The 4 and 6 hr settings are considered high and the other 2 are low. I love putting ingredients in in the morning and coming home to dinner..

  3. Hi,
    Can you tell me if I'm supposed to slice the meat after it's cooked? Or does fall apart and then need to be shredded? I've got the roast, and I plan to make it tomorrow. Thanks!

  4. Made this and the crack potatoes as a surprise gift for daughter (who worked on Mother's Day). The gravy alone is worth gold. Thanks!

  5. Dumb question, but does the beef fall apart as it cooks? Or do I need to shred it once it's done cooking? Thanks!

  6. Okay, second review of my life! This was totally delicious! I thought the ingredients sounded a little bizarre, but it turned out perfectly. Next time (much to my dismay) I will make it with just water instead of salsa, because the husband thought it was too spicy for my one-year-old (who didn't seem to mind, by the way, he ate it up!). Another win! Thanks!

  7. Made the pot roast today. I have a nasty cold so I couldn't taste much but husband and son said it was yummy!

  8. Im Also in Australia- can you also tell us how much the contents of the envelopes weigh?

    Made your crackbread btw. Im 3 slices away from coronary disease but who cares, its FANTASTIC hahaha

  9. I would love to try this recipe however l am in Australia and we don't get the same sort of packet dips etc as you in America. Could you please explain what the Au Jus is?
    Thankyou Kylie

  10. What an interesting combination of flavors with those packets. I'll have to give it a try. I don't buy those rolls, but know they're soft like the brand I buy. I don't like some of those hard topped slider buns…know what I'm talking about? Everything tends to slide out. 🙂 Anyway this whole post sounds delicious.

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