Do you feel like being a lazy lad this weekend but still have comfort food cooked at home? The Pot Roast for Two is the perfect solution. 

You can pour down all the ingredients and forget about it for 3 to 6 hours and get your much-required beauty sleep. When you wake up, the aroma of the flavor oozing pot roast over slow cooking will make your stomach grumble. Without having to go out to a fancy restaurant, you can enjoy delicious food in the comfort and coziness of the home.   

The slow cooker pot roast is a simple dish that can be easily prepared by a beginner with the simple steps that we have mentioned in the article below. Follow the guidelines appropriately to enjoy a delightful dinner, which can also be carried to the next day’s lunch.

Let’s begin with the pot roast. 

What is Pot Roast?

‘Pot Roast’ is a term for browned meat cooked with vegetables in a covered pot. It is a classic American dish that softens the tough and large cut of beef with vegetables and broth. The meat becomes fork-tender and flavourful when cooked for a specific time under the covered lids of either a pot or a cooker. The succulent, melt-in-mouth meal is a comfort food when you do not wish to have the fancy food of restaurants.

Ingredients & Substitutes for Pot Roast

To make a delightful pot roast for two, you must collect the following ingredients in advance so you do not rush or panic while preparing the dish.

There might be a possibility that you may want to enhance or personalize the dish with some ingredients other than those mentioned here. You are free to do so, but we suggest that you follow the guidelines once as stated and then customize it the next time you get comfortable with cooking the slow cooker roast.

• Boneless Beef Chuck Roast: 1 ½ to 2 pound beef cut will be enough for two. You may increase the quantity if you want to have it for the next meal as well. Feel free to swap with Bone-In Chuck Roast.
• Oil: Avocado oil contributes to flavoring while browning the meat. However, you can use olive oil, vegetable oil, or even butter as a replacement.
• Beef Broth: The broth provides the gravy base while tenderizing the beef. You may also use Beef Bone Broth.
• Potatoes: We prefer red potatoes for the pot roast for two since it does not get mushy after substantial heating, unlike their white counterpart. Use 2 small red potatoes or cut a large potato for even heating.
• Carrots and Onion: The right proportion and texture of vegetables are important for the texture of the roast. Use the sweet onion since its juice adds to the flavor. Instead of baby carrots, try getting your hands on the regular carrots, and you may leave them unpeeled since they will get tender after heating.
• Seasoning: Go for the Italian seasoning, which includes garlic powder, black pepper, and salt for the Italian zest. However, if these are unavailable, you can use a blend of herbs like oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary.
• Sauce/Gravy: The traditional approach is to prepare the Worcestershire sauce. However, we prefer the Balsamic Glaze purely because of the tangy flavor it kicks into the pot dish, making it even more desirable.

Now, let’s dive into making the mouth-watering pot roast without any further delay.

Pot Roast for Two

The delicious slow cooker pot roast is an easy method to soften the tough cuts of beef by cooking it low and slow to slice off and enjoy the meat easily.

Make sure to read and follow the guidelines appropriately to get not only the flavor but also the aroma of the dish so you are ravenous by the time of dinner.

Directions to Cook

Crock Pot Roast

• Chop the vegetables in large chunks so they do not get mushy when cooked for a long time.
• Prepare the chuck roast by sprinkling 4 teaspoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper over it, along with the seasonings that you gathered earlier.
• In a large skillet, over medium-high flame, heat 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and place the meat into the skillet. Sear the meat on both sides until it is browned for approximately 15 minutes. This will seal the flavor and moisture within the meal.
• After the meat is seared and well moisturized, transfer it to a 6 ½ quart slow cooker/pot and reduce the gas flame to medium-low.
• Now, add enough beef broth to cover the pot roast and cook it by constantly stirring it. This will loosen the browned meat bits into the skillet.
• Prepare the gravy(read below).
• Toss the chopped onions, potato, and carrots in a bowl along with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and mix them well. Then, transfer the mixture to the pot on top and around the meat.
• Cover the pot/cooker and cook it for about 6 hours on a low flame. You can also cook it for 3 hours on a high flame, but we suggest it for 6 hours since it makes the beef fork tender.

Gravy

• For the gravy, you can use the traditional Worcestershire sauce for the taste that your grandmother used to bring to the dinner.
• For an upgrade, we like to use the Balsamic Glaze for the flavor it adds to the meat. It also has a syrup-like consistency, which makes just the perfect gravy for the pot roast for two.
• Well, there is a method yet more to prepare the gravy for the pot roast- using cornstarch.
• For this, you must add water and cornstarch to a bowl and whisk them together to prepare a cornstarch slurry. Take some liquid from the crock pot and whisk it together with the cornstarch slurry already prepared. Bring all the whisked ingredients to a boil in a saucepan and make sure to stir it well, continuously, for about 3- 5 minutes.
• The mixture will start to thicken up and thicken as it cools.
• Add the mixture to the pot and let it all cook together for a long time.

The Pot Roast for two will fill your heart and make your stomach grumble with its aroma even when it is just being prepared. Imagine the delightness of when it is completely cooked and served on the plate for dinner (Cut down the large pieces of meat into thin slices).

How to Serve Pot Roast?

The classic pot roast is defined by its simplicity. The more simple the dish and serving are kept, the more classic it becomes.

It is best served with vegetables on the side. Chop russet potatoes, butternut squash, or parsnips and place them on the side of the meat on the dinner plate. Pour down juice from the pot in a bowl through the fine-mesh sieve and serve it along the serving dish.

No fancy decoration is required since the meat dish in itself is the fanciest of all tastes and comforts.

1. Browning the Meat

Some might skip this step of searing and browning the meat to save time. But let us tell you the importance of searing. Searing the meat in a hot pan for stews in the initial phase locks up the moisture within the meat. It also helps build the flavor within the meat so that not just the outer layer but the inner layers also taste comforting and equally yummy.

2. Pot Roast for Two in An Oven

To cook the meat in an oven, you need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Instead of a crock pot/ slow cooker, place all the ingredients in a 5-quart Dutch oven or an ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid and add 2 cups of water along with all the other ingredients. Bake the meat for about 4 hours until it is tender, and then serve as mentioned above.

3. Storage and Reheating

You must not shy away from storing the leftovers of the amazing and affordable pot roast that you prepared for two people for one meal and eventually was prepared for two for two meals.

The storage is simple. Do not cut the unused beef into thin slices since the thin ones dry out faster than the larger chunk counterparts. Wrap the dish with plastic and store it in a baking dish with some brothy liquid, and you are good to refrigerate the moist beef for up to 3 days.

For the next meal, transfer the beef with the liquid in a large baking dish, which completely snuggles the dish. Cover with foil, place the baking dish inside the oven at a temperature of 325 degrees, and bake it for 20 to 30 minutes. Check for the moisture and softening of the meat before serving it.

4. Leftovers

If there is not enough pot roast left for the next meal but enough to not just garbage away, the leftovers can be used for various other dishes.

Shred the leftover pot roast and make pasta out of it. You can also use it as fillings for tacos or enchiladas. If you want to make hoagie rolls, you can use the beef as the top piling of the roll. Yet another use of the beef pot roast is for making sandwiches, and the juice of the pot roast can be used as a dip for the beef sandwich.

Conclusion

The Pot Roast for Two is a mouth-watering, delicious, and comfort food that is not only easy to make but also affordable.

Cooking the meat in a crock pot/ slow cooker is preferable over cooking the same in an oven because the oven exposes the meat to dry out, whereas the meat in a pot is moisture-sealed and juicy.

The slow cooker method tenderizes the tough beef and makes it fork-tender to enjoy the lazy Sunday dinner meal with your partner with your favorite glass of drinks. You will surely enjoy the cozy weekend with your comforting food by following the steps we mentioned here.

Make sure to comment down your reviews on the recipe and tell us the results once you have cooked the dish, either with or without the modifications. We are waiting to hear from you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Difference Between a Crockpot and a Slow Cooker?

Crock-Pot is a popular brand of slow cookers, and the terms are commonly used interchangeably. Both are appliances that cook food slowly and have settings to keep food warm.

How Long Does a Roast Take in a Crock Pot?

The pot roast for two can be cooked at any time duration between 3 hours to 10 hours, depending on the high or low setting of the flame. The longer the beef stews on low flame, the tender the beef cuts are.