Souped Up Pot Roast

Three ingredients. That’s the whole recipe. Beef, onion soup mix, and water. If you can brown meat and set a timer, you can make this pot roast.

The onion soup mix is pulling triple duty here: seasoning, flavor base, and gravy thickener all in one packet. It coats the roast during the long braise, infusing the meat with savory onion flavor while the dehydrated onion pieces melt into the cooking liquid.

Browning the roast first is a step you absolutely should not skip. That seared crust adds a deep, caramelized flavor to both the meat and the braising liquid that no amount of soup mix can replicate on its own.

After 2 ½ hours of low simmering in a covered Dutch oven, the beef should be fork-tender and falling apart. The cooking liquid left behind thickens into a rich onion gravy with just a little help.

Pro Tips

• Pat the roast dry before browning. Wet meat steams instead of searing, and you’ll miss out on that caramelized crust.
• Keep the heat at a low simmer, not a rolling boil. High heat toughens the meat fibers. Low and slow breaks down the connective tissue into gelatin.
• Thicken the gravy by mixing a tablespoon of cornstarch with cold water and stirring it into the hot cooking liquid. Simmer for a minute until glossy.
• Let the roast rest 15 minutes before slicing so the juices stay in the meat.

Variations

• Add carrots, potatoes, and celery to the pot during the last hour for a complete one-pot dinner.
• Use mushroom soup mix instead of onion for an earthier, deeper gravy.
• Add a splash of red wine or Worcestershire sauce to the braising liquid for extra depth.