Savory Crock Pot French Onion Pot Roast (Printer-friendly)

Tender beef slow-cooked with caramelized onions, red wine, and thyme, finished with melted Gruyere cheese.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 3 to 4 pounds chuck roast
02 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

03 - 3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
04 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 2 cups sliced mushrooms (optional)
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Liquid & Seasoning

07 - 1 cup beef broth
08 - 1 cup dry red wine or additional beef broth
09 - 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
10 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
11 - 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

→ For Serving

13 - 6 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese
14 - Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Season the chuck roast generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides until deeply browned, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, add onions and mushrooms if using. Sauté until onions are golden and beginning to caramelize, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
04 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together beef broth, red wine or additional broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, thyme, and rosemary.
05 - Place the seared roast in the slow cooker. Top with the sautéed onions and mushrooms.
06 - Pour the broth mixture over the roast and onions.
07 - Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours until the roast is fork-tender.
08 - Remove the roast and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice or shred as desired.
09 - Place cheese slices over the meat in the slow cooker, cover, and let melt for approximately 5 minutes.
10 - Serve topped with onions, sauce, and melted cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The slow cooker does almost all the work while you live your day, then delivers restaurant-quality beef that falls apart at the slightest pressure.
  • Wine and beef broth create this silky, deeply flavored sauce that tastes like you've been simmering it for days, not hours.
  • Melted Gruyere on top transforms a humble pot roast into something fancy enough to serve at a dinner party without the stress.
02 -
  • Skipping the sear step will cost you deeply—the browned crust is where all the complex, savory flavor develops, and there's no substitute for it.
  • Resist the urge to add ingredients to the slow cooker raw—sautéing the onions first concentrates their sugars and creates caramel notes that braising liquid alone can never achieve.
  • Low and slow is not negotiable with a tough cut like chuck roast; high heat will just make it stringy and dry no matter how long you cook it.
03 -
  • If your sauce looks too thin at the end, mix cornstarch with cold water and stir it in, then cook on high for ten minutes—it'll thicken beautifully without tasting starchy.
  • Leftovers make the best sandwiches on crusty bread the next day, and the meat tastes even more tender after sitting in that sauce overnight.
  • Set a phone reminder to start this in the morning so it's ready by dinner time—nine hours sounds long until you realize you did absolutely nothing for those nine hours.
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