Italian Pot Roast & Parmesan Risotto

Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast – I finally found a pot roast that I like! This is hands-down THE BEST pot roast recipe EVER! Not only is this delicious, but it is also super easy to make! Pot Roast slow-cooked all day in tomato juice, Italian dressing mix, garlic, onion, pepper, and au jus gravy mix. Serve over a quick homemade parmesan risotto. Comfort food at its best! I literally licked my plate! Can freeze leftovers for later.

Originally posted 5/27/2009

The BEST Pot Roast Recipe

I finally found a pot roast that I like, no, LOVE to eat! This Italian Pot Roast is hands-down the BEST pot roast EVER. The recipe was inspired by a braised boneless short ribs with parmesan risotto dish at our favorite restaurant, Gianmarco’s. It was one of the best things I’ve eaten, and I started working on an easy copycat version. I finally settled on this recipe and it was great! The pot roast was tender and juicy. We loved the tomato gravy that the roast made as it cooked. It went perfectly with the risotto.

How to Make Italian Pot Roast

This pot roast is ridiculously easy to make. Place a roast in the slow cooker. Whisk together tomato juice, garlic, dried onion flakes, Au Jus gravy mix, Italian dressing mix, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Pour over the roast and cook on LOW until the roast is fall-apart tender. Shred the roast with two forks and serve over risotto.

• What kind of roast do you use for pot roast? The most popular cut to use is a Chuck roast. You can also use a blade roast or rump roast.
• Do I need to pan sear the roast before adding it to the slow cooker? You can pan-sear the roast for a few minutes on all sides before adding it to the slow cooker, but it isn’t necessary.

• Can you freeze Italian Pot Roast? Yes! You can freeze leftover pot roast for a quick meal later.
• You can make this a freezer meal and place all the ingredients in a freezer bag and freeze until you are ready to cook. There is no need to thaw the ingredients first, you can just place them in the slow cooker frozen. It will take longer to cook from frozen.
• Feel free to add vegetables to the slow cooker – potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and green peas are good.
• Do NOT make the Italian dressing. You are only using the seasoning packet.

What to Serve with Pot Roast

We always serve this roast over risotto. I included the recipe for my stove-top risotto below. It takes a little time but it is easy to make and goes great with the pot roast.

• Here is my Instant Pot Risotto Recipe that is faster and less hands-on time: https://www.plainchicken.com/parmesan-prosecco-risotto/
• You can also make risotto in the crockpot. Here is my Slow Cooker Risotto Recipe: https://www.plainchicken.com/slow-cooker-risotto/

You can serve the roast over potatoes, rice, noodles, or grits. It is also delicious on its own. We usually whip up a salad and some bread to round out the meal. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this AMAZING pot roast:

Vegetables

Italian Green Bean Salad

Italian Green Bean Salad – quick and delicious side dish! Green beans, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, prosciutto, and mozzarella tossed…

Salads

Creamy Italian Dressing

Creamy Italian Dressing Recipe – our favorite salad!!! Romaine, tomatoes, thinly sliced seedless cucumbers, sliced banana peppers, croutons, parmesan cheese,…

Bread

Garlic Parmesan Skillet Bread

Garlic Parmesan Skillet Bread – refrigerated biscuits chopped and tossed in butter, garlic, italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Baked in…

Bread

Garlic Roll Cupcakes

Garlic Roll Cupcakes – great with pasta! Super easy to make with only 4 ingredients! Refrigerated bread sticks, garlic seasoning,…

Recipe Print Recipe

Italian Pot Roast & Parmesan Risotto

Author: Plain Chicken

Yield: 8 people

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast – I finally found a pot roast that I like! This is hands-down THE BEST pot roast recipe EVER! Not only is this delicious, but it is also super easy to make! Pot Roast slow-cooked all day in tomato juice, Italian dressing mix, garlic, onion, pepper, and au jus gravy mix. Serve over a quick homemade parmesan risotto. Comfort food at its best! I literally licked my plate! Can freeze leftovers for later. #slowcooker #potroast #comfortfood #crockpot

Equipment:

• 6-qt Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

Pot Roast

• 1 (3-lb) pot roast,
• 1 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic or to taste
• 1 (1¼-oz) package au jus mix
• 1 (1-oz) package dried Italian salad dressing mix
• 2 tsp black pepper or to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne, optional
• 1½ cups tomato juice

Parmesan Risotto

• 3 tsp Olive Oil
• 6 cups Chicken Broth, warmed
• 1 lb Arborio Rice
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

Pot Roast

• Place roast in slow cooker. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over roast. Cook on LOW for 8-12 hours or on HIGH for about 4½hours.

Parmesan Risotto

• In large skillet, evenly coat rice with olive oil. Add 1 cup of heated chicken broth, stirring continually.
• Maintain a slow boil and add rest of broth, 1 cup at a time, while stirring continually. When all the broth is absorbed, add cheese, onion powder and pepper.

Notes:

• I used a packet of Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Mix. Do NOT make the dressing. Only use the dry seasoning packet in the recipe.
• What kind of roast do you use for pot roast? The most popular cut to use is a Chuck roast. You can also use a blade roast or rump roast.
• Do I need to pan sear the roast before adding it to the slow cooker? You can pan-sear the roast for a few minutes on all sides before adding it to the slow cooker, but it isn’t necessary.

• Can you freeze Italian Pot Roast? Yes! You can freeze leftover pot roast for a quick meal later.
• You can make this a freezer meal and place all the ingredients in a freezer bag and freeze until you are ready to cook. There is no need to thaw the ingredients first, you can just place them in the slow cooker frozen. It will take longer to cook from frozen.
• Feel free to add vegetables to the slow cooker – potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and green peas are good.
• Do NOT make the Italian dressing. You are only using the seasoning packet.
• Here is my Instant Pot Risotto Recipe that is faster and less hands-on time: https://www.plainchicken.com/parmesan-prosecco-risotto/
• You can also make risotto in the crockpot. Here is my Slow Cooker Risotto Recipe: https://www.plainchicken.com/slow-cooker-risotto/
• You can serve the roast over potatoes, rice, noodles, or grits. 

Plain Chicken

https://www.plainchicken.com/italian-pot-roast-parmesan-risotto/

All images and text © Plain Chicken, Inc.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @plainchicken or tag #plainchicken!

Steph