It has been raining like crazy here the past couple of days! And rainy, gray days make me want to turn the oven on and make a classic comfort food, like pot roast. Typically my pot roast has wine in it, and I turn the au jus into gravy and serve biscuits alongside everything. It is a family favorite, particularly of Fords. So when the weatherman gave the forecast last week with the impending “atmospheric river” I knew pot roast would be a good call. The only problem was that I wouldn’t be able to use the stand by recipe I have been making for the last 25 years, no wine or flour allowed on the Whole 30.
But I do not shy away from a challenge! All I needed was an alternate to the wine for adding some depth of flavor to the broth and hopefully something to thicken it a little as well. I decided to try tomato paste thinking that would both season and thicken the broth, and why not throw in a little Italian seasoning and garlic as well. I used my new favorite Whole 30 compliant bone broth from Kettle & Fire, which I’m sure also added a lot to the flavor here. I’m also a huge fan of Muir Glenn canned tomatoes which advertise themselves as tomatoes so sweet they don’t need sugar, so they also fit the Whole 30 bill.
Bone broth and tomato paste make a flavorful au jus 
Brown all sides of the seasoned meat in olive oil 
Remove the meat to brown the garlic and onions 
Add tomato paste and broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot
Start by seasoning the chuck roast and browning well on all sides in a Dutch Oven. Once the meat is browned set it aside on a plate while you brown the smashed garlic cloves and the onion. The onion will just start to brown, but a golden brown color on the garlic is what you are really after here. It only takes a minute, and stir frequently as you do not want to burn it. As soon as the garlic is browned add the broth and tomato paste and stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of your pot. I used 1 and a half boxes of broth, which is about 6 cups. If you are using less broth reduce the tomato paste accordingly. Return the meat to the pot, cover and put in a 325° oven.
Add the meat back to the pot and cook in a slow oven for 2 hours 
Add the potatoes and carrots 
And return to the oven for an additional 45 minutes
You’ll want to cook the meat for close to 3 hours total. I like to flip it about half way through the cooking time, after an hour and 15-30 minutes. Add the vegetables for the last 45 minutes of cooking (there is no need to flip the meat again). We talked about it at dinner and thought whole mushrooms would make a nice addition to the carrots and potatoes, I think I’ll try that next time.
We served this with a simple mixed green salad tossed in oil and vinegar, and Ford had a couple of biscuits as well. Anyone who knows me well knows I make big batches of biscuits and freeze them, so it was easy to throw a few in some foil and heat them up for him. I thought it would be hard for Jason and I not to be able to have some, but it really didn’t bother either one of us. I guess we’re getting used to this carb free living!
Italian Pot Roast
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 3 lb chuck roast
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 6 cups beef bone broth
- 4-6 carrots peeled and cut in half
- 8-10 Yukon gold creamer potatoes scrubbed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. Pat chuck roast dry with paper towels and season on all sides with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning pressing the spices into the meat.
- Heat Dutch oven over medium high heat until very hot. Add olive oil, heat 30 seconds then add roast. Brown well on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove roast to plate and lower heat to medium.
- Add onion and garlic and brown, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. The onion will be only slightly brown but the garlic should be a nice golden color. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Add the tomato paste and beef broth and stir until well combined using a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot and scrape up any browned bits into the broth.
- Return roast to pot and cover with lid. Bake for about 1:15 minutes before flipping the meat and returning to oven. Bake for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour before adding the vegetables.
- When the meat has been in the oven for 2 hours remove from oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Return to oven for an additional 45 minutes, until carrots and potatoes can be pierced easily with a knife and meat is tender.
- Remove roast and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with carrots, potatoes, onions, and au jus.