Slow Cooker Pot Roast

This is a recipe I would have totally avoided in the past, because it calls for "cream of something" soup.  But, thanks to Pacific Natural Foods, now I have access to an all-natural, made-with-quality-ingredients cream of chicken soup and it's opened up a whole new world, recipe-wise!  I'm not going to cook with this every day or anything, but it's SO nice to have this in my pantry to whip up super fast and easy meals, like this pot roast.  I also used it for this Poppyseed Chicken Casserole.  Having these recipes on hand has been a life-saver lately with a new baby that wants to be held (and/or eating) pretty much all the time.   (PS:  I prefer using Cream of Chicken instead of Cream of Mushroom and it still works wonderfully for this recipe.)  (PPS:  This is not an ad for Pacific Foods!  Ha ha.)

I've done my share of slow cooker beef roasts in the past, but they were always lacking a bit in flavor.  I had never seared the meat first before- that's why!  Seriously, searing all sides of your hunk o' meat makes SUCH a difference, flavor-wise.  I use my cast-iron and it's a beautiful thing, this searing.  The meat doesnt' stick to the cast-iron, and cast-iron is just wonderful for searing.  How many times can I stay "searing" and "cast-iron" in one paragraph??  Hmmm......

I've made this roast a handful of times since discovering good ol' Pacific Foods Cream Soups, and the last time I made it, I de-glazed my cast-iron pan with a bit of water (after SEARING!) and added it to the crockpot.  It added even more flavor!  I've made this recipe 3 times in the past month and a half.... before this recipe, I hadn't made a roast in like 4-5 years!

I add a bunch of cubed potatoes to this dish; they are wonderful.  When you put the veggies, meat, and then the cream soup in, you'll think there's no way there will be enough "juice" or gravy out of what is in there.... but just turn on your crock-pot and walk away, because magic will happen and you will have a delicious, tender and flavorful roast, perfectly cooked veggies, and plenty of gravy to ladle over everything!  My fam loves this with some steamed peas on the side. 

I find that I don't need to cook it as long as the original recipe says; the first time, I cooked in on High for about 2 hours, and then low for 2-3 more, and I used a meat thermometer to see if it was done, and it was cooked to perfection in that time.  Last time, I just cooked it on high the whole time (about 4-5 hours) and again, it was perfect.  It probably won't hurt to let it go longer and lower (instead of High), though, if you want.  And remember that all crockpots cook differently!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast
adapted from Allrecipes

2-3 pounds boneless beef roast

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1 pound bag baby carrots

3-4 medium potatoes, washed, unpeeled, and cubed

1 (12 oz.) box natural condensed cream of chicken OR mushroom soup

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, optional

1.  In a large skillet (cast-iron is good!) over medium high heat, saute the roast in the oil for 15 minutes, or until all sides are well browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.               

2.  Place the onion, carrots, potatoes, garlic and parsley in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the roast on top of the vegetables and pour the soup over the roast and the vegetables.  Cover the slow cooker and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for about 4-5 hours, stirring once.  Checking the temperature with a meat thermometer is a good way to ensure it is cooked through, especially if you cook it for the shorter amount of time. 

3.  Transfer roast to a serving platter and place the vegetables around it. Pour the roast gravy from the slow cooker into a gravy boat (if you own one of those things). 

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