Three Packet Pot Roast

November 10, 2011 by · 10 Comments

This is my new favorite pot roast. It was flavorful. It was elegant. It was easy. It cooked all day while I was at work. Enough said.

I actually made this once before, but I don’t think I used a chuck roast. This time I did and I think that is what helped to make it so great. The gravy is meaty and has some zestiness to it which I love. I added some carrots and celery to the roast and they were melt in your mouth good. You could slice right through the meat with a fork. I loved it.

I was also really hungry when we ate it. Still, it’s my favorite new pot roast.

I served it with a twice baked potato very similar to this one, however I didn’t use cheese and I added more green onions. I also replaced the sour cream with low-fat yogurt and replaced the milk with fat-free buttermilk. They were delish. I used to add potatoes right in with the pot roast, but I have decided that I don’t like the taste or the texture when they cook with the roast.

I definitely suggest using a chuck roast because it has a bit more fat in it than say a top round roast and therefore you get that “fall apart meat”, which to me is what a pot roast is all about.  Apparently, the longer and thinner the bone in the chuck steak the better. If you use a chuck but you want to lighten this dish up a bit you can always make it a day ahead, put it in the fridge and then scrape the solid fat that forms at the top. Then, just put the dish on the stove or in the oven to warm it back up and honestly it’s just as good as the day before.

This is a recipe I have had for a while and you will see variations of it out there.  I believe I originally got it from Allrecipes.com.  I adapted the original recipe a bit.

So, the next time you see some chuck roast on sale at your local store grab some and pull out your slow cooker. You will be VERY happy you did. Enjoy!

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Cooking At Café D

Three Packet Pot Roast
 
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Recipe type: Main

Ingredients
  • 1 – .7 ounce packet of dry Italian Dressing mix
  • 1 – 1 ounce packet of dry ranch dressing mix
  • 1 – .75 ounce packet og brown gravy mix (I used a larger packet and it worked out fine)
  • 1 cup of water
  • 3 lb chuck steak – with or without the bone
  • 3-4 carrots sliced in 1-2 inch pieces (I didn’t even peel mine)
  • 3-4 stalks of celery with leaves sliced in 1-2 inch pieces

Instructions
  1. Place carrots and celery in the slow cooker
  2. Season meat with salt and pepper and sear on both sides in a skillet with a bit of olive oil. When you have some nice browning on both sides of the meat, put it in the slow cooker on top of your veggies.
  3. Mix first four ingredients in a bowl and pour over the meat and veggies. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat falls apart easily.

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Beef & Tortellini Marinara with Green Beans

October 4, 2011 by · 5 Comments


This. Is a keeper.

This was a huge hit with everyone involved. Everyone involved being my family…and that says a lot. My family isn’t picky really, but not all dishes are a hit with everyone at the same time. This dish was. For me it was a huge hit because it was simple to make and pretty healthy. The flavor was deep and rich – which doesn’t always happen with slow cooked meals.

I used frozen green beans (the haricot vert if you are fancy) from Trader Joe’s and they worked wonderfully. I love their frozen veggies and I very often use frozen instead of fresh veggies when it is more convenient. I don’t know what it is, but TJ’s has the best frozen veggies.

****Can I give you my tip on frozen vegetables? Don’t microwave them. Maybe there is a good way to nuke frozen veggies, but I haven’t found it yet. I will sometimes sauté them in a little olive oil right from frozen and sometimes I will boil them in some water with a little bouillon. I have even roasted veggies in the oven right from frozen and it works great. Another thing I will do is put them in some foil with a little seasoning salt and some olive oil and throw it on the grill. It steams in the foil and cooks up really nice. I do this with frozen asparagus quite a bit.

Thank you for that brief interruption, now back to our regularly scheduled program:-)

Seriously – try this dish today. This is some absolutely delicious Italian food. Another great recipe from Taste of Home.

Enjoy!

Beef Tortellini Marinara with Green Beans
 
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This is a great slow cooker recipe with some amazing Italian flavor!
Recipe type: Main

Ingredients
  • 1 lb beef stew meat
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jar (26 0z) marinara or spaghetti sauce
  • 2 cups dry red wine or beef broth
  • 1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed – (I might do 1.5 lbs next time)
  • 1 can (14½ oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • lb small fresh mushrooms
  • 2 envelopes thick and zesty spaghetti sauce mix
  • 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
  • 1 Tbsp minced onion
  • 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • tsp salt
  • 1 pkg (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, brown beef in oil until no longer pink. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a 5 or 6 qt slow cooker.
  2. Stir in the marinara sauce, wine, green beans, mushrooms, sauce mix, parsley, onion, rosemary, pepper and salt. Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hrs or until meat is tender.
  3. Stir in tortellini. Cover and cook on high 30 minutes longer or until tortellini are heated through.

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