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It’s almost as though I can feel November in the air.
Wait, I literally can! Do you guys know how cold it is here? COLD.
But I promise, I am not talking about the weather today. Cause um, we have a cranberry pot roast to talk about!! Sounds so good, right? Like what meat-eater is not a fan of pot roast? My mom always made pot roast on Sunday or Monday nights throughout the fall. Pot roast was another one of “her” meals and probably one of her favorites to eat too.
Mom’s pot roast recipe was very retro. Think, add a can of this, another can of that, some broth, some beef, and throw it in the oven. Key word here – can. I’m not majorly opposed to canned food (sometimes convenience rules), but typically I try to omit the cans of soup with a mega list of ingredients and low nutritional value whenever possible, because… I will not lie, they creep me out just a bit.
But don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for them. Hello cheesy potatoes…you just are not the same without that can of cream of chicken. <–Truth.
Anyway, my pot roast recipe is clearly a little different from mom’s. For one, no canned goods. Two, and most importantly, the cranberries!
Guys, don’t be freaked. I promise, this combo isn’t weird, just good. Really good!
Beef and cranberries are like two peas and a pod. They just work together, especially when slowly cooked all day. The cranberries add SO much flavor, but they are not overpowering in any way. It’s kind of hard to describe, but I just know you guys will love it. I also added a bit of balsamic to really play up the cranberries and honey and balance them out. Think of it like cranberry sauce, but with red wine, thyme and then served with beef as opposed to turkey.
The pot roast is just slightly sweet, but mostly savory. You see, cranberries can be used for things other than the once of year batch of cranberry sauce!! I was actually just saying that cranberries are good with so many things, it’s kind of a bummer their season is so short! Oh well, it just makes me all the more excited for them when this time of year rolls around again!
Of course, there are also all the other typical pot roast ingredients: the chuck roast, onions, carrots, thyme, a little red wine, some mushrooms, potatoes… the works.
SIDE NOTE: As a kid, I never had any interest in the beef. I did love pot roast, but I swear, it was solely because of the carrots. Mom would always add extra carrots just for me, because I honestly only ate the carrots. I love how they get all caramelized and delicious in the sauce. I know, weird, but carrots in pot roast are my favorite!
Okay, so you may have noticed that I served this pot roast with not only mashed potatoes, but with egg noodles as well. I just could not decide which way to go and neither could the fam. I put a call out on our Group Me message board to the cuz’s and the sibs, but got equal amounts of masher lovers to noodles lovers. The decision… the struggle was REAL!
So I just gave in and went with both. I personally think mashers go best with pot roast, but my mom strongly disagrees. She is a noodle girl all the way. To each their own I guess!
And now I must mention how easy this meal is. I know that pot roast is generally an easy meal, but I myself haven’t made that many, so I’m always kind of in awe when I do.
Just use one-pot, sear the veggies, sear the meat and then add in all the remaining ingredients and slow cook away. Depending on the size roast you have it should take around 3-4 hours. Once the meat is tender and falling apart, it’s done! You don’t even need to cut the meat, it just pulls right apart making serving this right out of the pot easy-peasy. Which is nice cause that means less dishes to wash. YES!
And finally, I have to say that this is the PERFECT easy meal to get you through the busy month of November. I know that November is all about Turkey Day, but we still have to eat during the 25 days leading up to Thanksgiving. This is your meal for one of those busy days! Feed it to your family, feed it to your holiday guests and then devour the leftovers for lunch….YUM.
Serious question for the day: Are you a buttered noodles or a mashers person when it comes to what to pair with your pot roast?!
Cranberry Pot Roast – How To Make Video
Cranberry Pot Roast.
Ingredients
- 1 (4-5) pound chuck roast
- salt + pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, quartered
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 12 ounces baby potatoes, I would omit if serving with mashed potatoes)
- 1 cup red wine, or another cup beef broth
- 2-3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 2 tablespoons honey
- mashed potatoes or egg noodles, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275° F.
- Season the chuck roast liberally with salt + pepper all over.
- Heat a large dutch oven, over high heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, carrots and potatoes (if using) and cook, stirring once or twice until the veggies are just slightly browned on the edges, about 5 minutes. Do not leave the veggies in there too long, you don't want them to become soft. Remove the veggies to a plate.
- Add another drizzle of oil and once hot, add the chuck roast and sear all over, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the chuck roast from the pan.
- Carefully pour in the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom. Remove from the heat.
- Add the meat back to the pan and cover with 2-3 cups of beef broth, the worcestershire sauce and the balsamic. Throw in the mushrooms + browned veggies, thyme, rosemary, cranberries + honey. If the liquid is not covering the meat at least half way, add more until it is.
- Cover the pan and place in the oven. Roast for 3-4 hours or until the roast is cooked to your liking. Serve over mashed potatoes or eggs noodles.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Make this, take a photo, and then SHOW ME your answer!! Mmm, k?!? Cool, I can’t wait! 🙂
Tieghan, I made this dish today in my crockpot and it was so delicious! The depth and combination of flavors is incredible. I added the carrots, potatoes and mushrooms about an hour before it was done and they were just right! My husband said that this was the best roast I’ve ever made. Thank you for what you do! You are incredible! I hope your book tour comes close to me so I can meet you!
Hi Lori,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx
Here goes! First time making and on this 3 degree day it is smelling so good!
I hope you love the recipe Jen, stay warm!! xTieghan
I just made this with frozen dark cherries instead of cranberries (couldn’t find any) and in the slow cooker at low for 7 hours. So good! It was perfect would make this again for sure!
Hey Anu,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xxT
question: Usually I keep the vegetables back until the last hour so there stop have their body and aren’t mushy. How do the vegetables not get over-cooked?
Hey Elizabeth,
The vegetables are soft, if you like them more on the crunchy side then yes you can totally wait to add them. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
How would you cook this in an instapot version?
Hi Lexie,
I would do 50 minutes on high pressure. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Oh thank goodness for this info! Planning this dish as a birthday dinner but was struggling with limited time between getting off work and wanting food ready! I’ll try to remember to let you know how it turns out using the instapot 🙂
Making this tomorrow – so excited to try it. Could I put it all in a crock pot?!
Hi Bridget,
Yes, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Would a pork roast work just as well? It sounds wonderful and I have a pork roast in the freezer….
Hey Tammy,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I made this with the pork roast and it was a hit! I don’t think it got as tender as a beef roast would have, but tender it was and my dinner guests loved it!
Hi Tammy,
Thank you so very much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!??
Loved this! Made it in the instant pot @ 50 minutes. Came out perfect.
Hey there,
I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
High or low??
Hi Lexie,
I would do high pressure:)
Outstanding recipe. I have a family member with a nightshade allergy so I had to omit the carrots, and it was still flawless. I made it, as described, in my Dutch oven and had zero issues; the 4.75lb roast I chose took about 4hrs to cook to “fall-apart tender. We served it with mashed potatoes and a brown gravy made with some of the juices. It was requested as the new Thanksgiving tradition!
Hi Nora,
Happy Sunday! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Could I sub brown sugar for honey? We have two 9 month olds that we do baby led weaning with and they can’t have honey until they’re over one year old. Would love to serve this to them, too!
Hey Jessica,
Yes, that will work well for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Have you tried this in a crock pot?
I have! You don’t have to sear the veggies. Just toss everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Even better if you have an instant pot or a foodie ninja. Sear the veggies and meat on sear function then switch it to low temp on the slow cooker function! So good
Going to try this tonight in my ninja, thank you so much for the tips!!
Hey Hanna,
I would cook on low for 6-8 hours in the crockpot, that should work well for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Mashers, definitely! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I hope you love the recipe Gayle!
Have you tried this in the instapot?
Hey Cynthia,
I would try cooking on high pressure for 50-60 minutes, I think that should work well for you. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Would short ribs work well with this recipe? I can’t seem to find a roast anywhere!
Hi Sabrina! Yes, short ribs would work just fine! xTieghan
Yum! Loved that the cranberries added a new twist to the classic recipe. Bonus that it was also prettier!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Can you use the sauce to make a gravy? And can I refreeze some of the meat? Thank you! It’s in the oven now 🙂
Hi there! Yes, a gravy would be so yummy! And you can definitely freeze some of the meat, I would just put it in a pot with a bit of water when you want to cook it again to give it some more moisture 🙂 xTieghan
I’m currently making this in the oven right now, too! I’m also curious about making a gravy…could you reply a quick how-to?? ?
Hi Paige,
I’ve never done a gravy with this recipe, we just use the juice/sauce, but you could thicken it up with a little flour. I hope you love the recipe. xTieghan
This is exactly the no-tomato roast in looking for! Can it be done in a slow cooker with similar results?
Hi there! I haven’t tried this recipe in a slow cooker before, but I’m sure it would yield similar results! xTieghan