Hey friend,

Okay, this one’s a repeat performer at our house. Like, embarrassingly often. And I’ll be honest, it’s usually not even me making it.

This is Nate’s dish. Onion soup mix, a cheap chuck roast, the crockpot, and then… nothing. He walks away for six hours and it turns into the kind of fork-tender, fall-apart pot roast that makes people think somebody tried really hard in that kitchen.

He loves it because of how simple it is. He’s not in there fussing over it or checking on it every twenty minutes. He browns the meat, dumps everything in, and goes back to whatever he was actually doing with his day.

And here’s the part I really love: it’s built for the cheap cuts. Chuck roast, the kind that’s marbled and a little tough on its own, is exactly what this recipe wants. Low and slow breaks it down into something better than a pricier cut would give you anyway. So this is a “feed the family without blinking at the receipt” kind of dinner. My favorite kind.

It also makes incredible leftovers, which honestly might be the best part. We’ll eat it as pot roast the first night, then it becomes sandwiches, or gets tossed into a beef stroganoff, or a kid or two is invited over by their dad for supper ;).

Here’s the full recipe, straight from the NellieBellie website. No clicking required. Just scroll and cook.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Onion Soup Mix

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 6 to 8 hours on low Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 4 lb. beef roast (chuck roast is the classic choice here)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup water (sub beef broth if you have it, for extra flavor)
• 6 small red potatoes, scrubbed
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying
• Optional: onions or carrots, sliced and added in with the potatoes

Method

1. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Salt and pepper the roast, then brown it in the hot skillet, turning to get color on all sides.
2. Remove the roast to a platter and turn the heat to low.
3. In the same skillet, mix together the cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, and water. Stir and scrape up those browned bits from the bottom of the pan. That’s the good stuff.
4. Pour half the mixture into the bottom of the crockpot, then lay the roast on top.
5. Pour the rest of the mixture over the roast.
6. Arrange the potatoes (and onions or carrots, if using) around the roast.
7. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the roast falls apart and the potatoes are tender.

A couple of notes from experience:

You don’t technically have to brown the meat first, but I really think you should. It takes five extra minutes and it’s the difference between good and great. Also: don’t stir it while it cooks. I know it’s tempting. Leave the lid on and let it do its thing.

If you want gravy (and you do), skim the fat off the leftover liquid, whisk in a little cornstarch slurry, and simmer until it thickens - about 10 minutes with the slow cooker on low. Pour it over everything. Save some for tomorrow’s sandwiches.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing. If you want more in process photos, tips, etc...head to the full post.​

What’s your go-to “I don’t want to think about dinner” recipe? Hit reply and tell me. I'm working on updated and developing all of those recipes I can remember. Or want to create ;)

xo Nellie