Savory Crock Pot French Onion Pot Roast (Print version)

Tender beef slow-cooked with caramelized onions, red wine, and melted Gruyere for an effortless French-inspired dinner.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef

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

→ Vegetables and 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 and 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

# How-To Steps:

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 minced 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 crock pot. 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 crock pot, cover, and let melt for approximately 5 minutes.
10 - Serve topped with onions, sauce, and melted cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley.

# Tips from the pros:

01 -
  • It turns a humble chuck roast into something so tender you can cut it with a fork, no knife needed.
  • The house smells incredible all day long, like you've been cooking for hours even though you only worked for thirty minutes.
  • That combination of caramelized onions, red wine, and melted cheese tastes like French onion soup and pot roast had a delicious baby.
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day, piled onto crusty bread with all those rich, beefy juices.
02 -
  • Searing the beef is not optional—it creates a layer of caramelized flavor that you simply can't get by tossing raw meat into the slow cooker.
  • If your sauce seems too thin at the end, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, stir it in, and cook on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes until it thickens into gravy.
  • Let the roast rest after cooking or all those precious juices will run out the second you cut into it.
03 -
  • Use a wine you'd actually drink—if it tastes bad in the glass, it'll taste bad in the pot.
  • Don't open the slow cooker lid to check on things every hour, because every peek adds 15 to 20 minutes to the cooking time.
  • If you want an even deeper onion flavor, caramelize the onions for a few extra minutes until they're almost mahogany.
Go back