Slow Cooker Italian Style Pot Roast

Now that it’s the fall and the weather is quite chilly, I’ll be making more “comfort meals” on Slow Cooker Sundays. You know, meals that warm the soul. To start off, I decided to make an Italian Style Pot Roast. Who doesn’t enjoy a good old pot roast? It’s a classic!

This was relatively quick to pull together. It cooked low and slow though, so it took almost 9 hours total to prepare. Since it cooked for so long, the meat was very tender and had great flavor. It did not dry out. My only complaint is that it was a little on the salty side, probably from the store-bought marinara. That can be easily fixed though…make your own!

Start by searing the beef to lock in its juices…

Season the top of a 3 pound boneless beef bottom round with s&p. (Mine was 3.3 pounds.)

Heat a skillet over high heat.
Add the beef, seasoned side down.
Season the other side with more s&p.

Once the bottom of the beef is browned, flip it. (It will take about 4 minutes.)

While the second side sears, mince 3 cloves of garlic and slice up 1 onion.

Roll the beef onto 1 side to sear it.

Place the minced garlic into a small bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 teaspoon dried basil.

Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano.

Add 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake.

Mix well to combine.

Roll the meat over one last time to sear the last side.

Add half of the sliced onions to the bottom of your slow cooker.

Place the browned beef on top of the onions.

Add the rest of the onions around the beef.
Rub the garlic mixture on top of the beef.

Pour 1.5 cups of marinara sauce on top of the beef. (I used store-bought to save time. It definitely added salt though. Next time, I’ll make my own so I can control the amount of salt in the dish.)