For many people a pot roast is reminiscent of Sunday dinners with the family.
A few minutes spent in the morning, or the night before, on prep and it can sit in your crockpot or Instapot so you will be rewarded with a lovely meal at the end of the day.
Round out your meal by adding in a tossed salad, or some steamed broccoli – and dinner is on the table in a flash, with built in leftovers for lunches! This roast is even better the next day.
As we discuss in depth in our Nutrition Simplified article, consuming all four macronutrients – complex carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, and fibre – at each meal is a foundational concept for a healthy diet. With this recipe, we wanted to highlight how truly simple (and comforting, and delicious!) eating macronutrient balanced meals can be.
Root Vegetables such as carrots provide a source of complex carbohydrates within this dish. Complex carbohydrates are important sources of energy for our bodies.
Beef provides complete proteins needed by the body. If possible, look for grass fed beef because they tend to be leaner and therefore, contain less calories. Proteins help build, repair, and maintain our body’s tissues, plus they make the antibodies that boost our immune system, fight infections, carry oxygen throughout the body, boost metabolism, and reduce food cravings.
Olive oil provides a source of healthy fats, primarily monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). MUFAs are known to be heart-healthy and has benefits such as improved cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of heart disease. Including healthy fats in a meal increases satiety, and helps you feel fuller for longer.
Of course, beef contains fats as well; and if you have chosen a grass fed animal product, you’ll be getting even more healthy fats! Grass fed beef tend to contain lower amounts of saturated fats and pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats, and higher amounts of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats such as Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA).
Onions contain about an equal amount of soluble and insoluble fibres. Generally speaking, fibre helps faciliate regular bowel movements and providing an important source of fuel for the good bacteria in our guts. Specifically, soluble fibre acts similarly to a “sponge” soaking up water and toxins to carry them out of the body; and insoluble fibre acts almost like a “broom”, sweeping food along the digestive tract to keep it moving.
Lastly of note, cinnamon helps balance blood sugar by lowering insulin resistance.
A pot roast might seem like an indulgent comfort-meal. But, with these healthy ingredients, balanced macronutrients, and simple crock-pot preparation… you can’t go wrong! We hope you enjoy this.
Classic Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs roast ideally grass feed, chuck or round
- 1 lbs carrots peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 sweet vidalia or yellow onions roughly chopped
- 1 lbs root vegetables of choice golden beets, parsnips, or turnip all work
- 2 stalks celery cut into 2" chucks (optional)
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1-2 tsp sea salt to taste
- 1 tsp pepper freshly ground is best
- 1 tsp dried thyme optional
- 1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon optional
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 cups beef broth or bone broth
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp starch arrowroot or tapioca work well
- 2 tbsp cold water
- ½ cup parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Combine salt, pepper and dried spices. Season roast with spice blend on all sides.
- Optional - Heat oil in a skillet. Sear the roast, browning each side for 4 – 5 minutes. Searing helps seal in the moisture, though if you are pressed for time, you can skip this step with little loss of flavour.
- To your slow cooker add carrots, onions, root vegetables, celery (if using), and garlic.
- Place meat on top of vegetables in the crock pot, then add the broth and balsamic vinegar. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
- After 8 hours, pour off the liquid, through a mesh strainer, and into a medium pot. Heat over medium-high heat, bringing to a simmer.
- In a small bowl combine water and starch, mixing to blend smooth. Add starch mixture to the medium pot, stirring to blend and thicken the gravy.
- Pour gravy over beef and vegetables and serve. Enjoy!
