A Delicious Pot Roast Infused with the Tastes of French Onion Soup
French onion soup, renowned for its sweet and savory, gradually caramelized onions, stands as one of my all-time favorite dishes, and its flavors blend beautifully into other meals, such as this French onion pot roast! This recipe primarily features slowly caramelized onions combined with a pot roast, along with flavors typically found in French onion soup, including Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard. The final touch is, naturally, the cheese and toast that top French onion soup; I enjoy sprinkling the cheese atop the pot roast, allowing it to melt there and serving it with toasted baguette for scooping everything up! Caramelizing the onions takes some time, alongside the slow braising of the beef until it reaches a fall-apart tenderness, but this recipe is absolutely worth it!
Serve it over mashed potatoes, or pasta, or rice, accompanied by a vegetable for a complete meal!
French Onion Pot Roast
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
– 1 tablespoon oil
– 3 pounds boneless beef roast (such as chuck, eye of round, etc.)
– Salt and pepper to taste
– 4 tablespoons butter
– 4 large onions, sliced
– 4 cloves garlic, chopped
– 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
– 2 tablespoons flour (gluten-free for gluten-free) (optional)
– 3 cups beef broth *
– 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free for gluten-free) (optional)
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten-free for gluten-free) (optional)
– 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
– 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
– 2 bay leaves
– 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded (optional)
Directions:
1. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat, season the beef with salt and pepper to taste, and brown it on all sides before setting it aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium, melt the butter in the same pan, add the onions, and sauté until caramelized, about 1 hour, stirring every few minutes. When the bottom of the pan begins to accumulate brown bits, pour in 1/4 cup of water and scrape up the brown bits, then continue to cook.
3. Stir in the garlic and thyme, sprinkle the flour, mix, and cook for a minute.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and deglaze the pan by scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the broth sizzles.
5. Incorporate the remaining broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and bay leaves, mixing well before adding the beef.
6. Choose one of the following: (1) bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the beef is fork-tender, approximately 2-4 hours; OR (2) cover and transfer to a preheated oven at 275F/140C and cook until tender, about 2-4 hours; OR (3) place in a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.
7. Take out the bay leaves, sprinkle on the cheese, cover, and let it melt before enjoying!
Note: * If using a slow cooker, you may use 1 less cup of broth, and if roasting in the oven, you might need to add more broth.
Option: Swap the 1/2 cup of broth used to deglaze the pan with red wine.
Option: The flour is used to thicken the broth, and it can be omitted.
Option: Incorporate 8 ounces of mushrooms, sauté them after the beef, set aside before cooking the onions, then return the mushrooms to the pan with the beef.
Option: Serve with toasted baguette slices!
Nutrition Facts: Calories 516, Fat 32g (Saturated 14g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 157mg, Sodium 528mg, Carbs 11g (Fiber 1g, Sugars 4g), Protein 42g