French Onion Pot Roast

French Onion Pot Roast mains This homemade French Onion Pot roast recipe delivers fall-apart tender, melt-in your mouth beef with the most flavorful juices or French onion soup gravy. pot roast, slow cooker, date night, fall recipes, winter recipes, cozy meals French Onion Pot Roast beef

This homemade French Onion Pot roast recipe delivers fall-apart tender, melt-in your mouth beef with the most flavorful juices or French onion soup gravy. The perfect make ahead meal and comfort food to keep you well fed and cozy through the fall and winter. It is great in a sandwich or toasted hoagie, over mashed potatoes or served with rice. Cooked low and slow you have a delicious meal that combines pot roast and French onion soup loaded with flavor and savory sweetness from the caramelized onions.

French Onion Pot Roast

French Onion Pot Roast Recipe Ingredients:

  • BEEF: The cut of beef matters. You will need beef chuck roast or boneless bottom blade roast is what I use - the best cut for slow braising tender beef as it becomes tender and juicier the longer you cook it. (see Recipe Notes below for more info)
  • ONIONS: We always use yellow onions (specifically, yellow Spanish onions) due to their balanced, savory-sweet flavor and ability to hold their structure during the long, slow cooking process. We slice them but if you would like to dice them so they are less stringy you can.
  • VEGETABLE OIL: Use any vegetable oil - I use olive oil or canola oil for searing the beef.
  • BUTTER: I use unsalted butter for caramelizing the onions. It add a rich, nutty, and savory flavor depth that oil alone cannot provide
  • BROWN SUGAR: I like to add a little brown sugar to caramelized onions which helps accelerate the caramelization process, boosts sweetness, and produces a deeper, richer, caramel-colored finish in less time.
  • GARLIC: Adds loads of flavor. I use 6 cloves of garlic - maybe that is too much for you and if so adjust to taste. We add it towards the end of the onion caramelization process.
  • HERBS & SPICES: Thyme, and bay leaf are classic herbs in French onion soup but we like to add in some rosemary as well and dried chives for an extra layer of onion flavor. Of course we season with salt and pepper too.
  • MUSTARD: Adding mustard, particularly Dijon, adds depth, cuts through the sweetness of the caramelized onions, and provides a nice flavor boost
  • WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE: Worcestershire sauce is a common addition for an extra punch of umami (savory flavor).
  • WINE: I prefer to use white wine for this recipe but some prefer red wine with the beef - use what you like and what you have. Typically I use a dry, crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
  • FLOUR: All purpose flour is added to the onions to create a bit of a roux that will help thicken the overall stew.
  • BROTH: We use low sodium beef broth and it is the liquid that the beef will braise in.

French Onion Pot Roast

How To Make French Onion Pot Roast

  1. Season & Sear Beef: This is optional but recommend for extra flavor.
  2. Caramelize Onions In Butter: We don’t need to caramelize for hours here - the cooking process isn’t so much low and slow for this part of the recipe. We saute them in the hot pot, they release natural liquid that helps deglaze the brown bits and flavor from the pot giving them extra colour and we also hydrate the pot a bit with some of the broth if needed to keep them cooking. The process usually takes under 25-30 minutes. Remember they will continue to soften as they slow braise with the beef.
  3. Stir in Garlic, Brown Sugar, Flour & Deglaze With Wine: We finish the onions by stirring in the garlic and brown sugar and stir in flour to create a bit of a roux then deglaze with the wine.
  4. Add broth, Worcestershire Sauce, Spices & Mustard: Stir in the broth and the flavor add ins: bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, dried chives.
  5. Return Beef to Pot: Along with any juices on the plate. Ensure there is enough liquid in the pot to cover at least ¾ of the beef. Add a splash or two more if needed.
  6. Transfer to Oven and Braise: Bring the braising liquids to a simmer, cover pot and transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 3-3 ½ hours or until beef is fall apart tender.
  7. Shred Beef & Serve: Once done carefully remove beef from pot into a bowl, shred meat and return to pot and toss in the juices and then serve

French Onion Pot Roast

French Onion Pot Roast

What to Serve With French Onion Pot Roast

  • Serve the beef over mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles or your favourite side, topped with shredded Gruyère cheese.
  • Alternatively, pile the beef onto a buttered toasted baguette or hoagie roll, sprinkle with Gruyère, and broil until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly. I like to serve mine with Horseradish cream sauce (recipe below) with a side of salt and vinegar chips, or add the chips right into the sandwich for some crunch!
  • For dramatic effect many recipes call for shredding cheese right overtop the beef in the pot and broiling it until melted and serving it with the melted cheese right from the pot - this is an excellent idea if serving it right from pot over rice, mashed potatoes or noodles

French Onion Pot Roast

Got Leftovers? Here’s What To Do With Leftover Pot Roast:

  • Make tacos with it
  • Enjoy with eggs and toast
  • Make more sandwiches with it
  • Toss it into soup
  • Toss it into salad
  • Use it in a casserole, burritos, pasta bake or even shepherds pie
  • Toss it into pasta like my stroganoff

French Onion Pot Roast Storage, Make Ahead, & Freezing

  • STORAGE: Shredded beef can be stored in the sauce or kept separate in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat stovetop or in the microwave.
  • MAKE AHEAD: Of course this whole dish can be made 1-2 days ahead - like any stew the flavors just keep getting better as they sit. Store chilled in an airtight container. Reheat and serve.
  • FREEZING: Shredded beef can be stored in the sauce or kept separate in airtight freezer containers for up to 3-6 months. Thaw in fridge and reheat stovetop or in the microwave. The onions may not freeze as well - their texture may be altered.

French Onion Pot Roast

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Recipe

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 4 Hrs
Total Time: 4 hours 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 pounds boneless chuck roast - excess fat trimmed
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • 2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick)
  • 4 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon. Rosemary, fresh or dried
  • 1 teaspoon thyme, fresh or dried
  • 1 teaspoon dried chives, optional
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • ¾ cup white wine, dry preferably
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 2 bay leaves

For the Horseradish Cream Sauce (optional):

  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons horseradish
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley or fresh
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon chopped green onions or Chives

For Sandwiches

  • Baguette, ciabatta, French rolls, hoagies
  • Butter, for spreading over bread
  • Grated Gruyere Cheese
  • Salt & Vinegar chips (trust us on this one)

Directions

Prepare Beef

  1. 20-30 minutes before you’d like to begin preparing your pot roast, transfer the beef from the refrigerator to counter, allow it to come to room temperature for even searing.
  2. Pat dry chuck roast. Season on both sides generously with salt and pepper, a nice good coating.
  3. Warm oil in a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat. Brown and sear the beef for 5-6 minutes undisturbed on each side adding more oil if needed. Remove from pan onto a plate and set aside.

Caramelize Onions

  1. Melt butter in same pot. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often until light brown and softened, approx 20-30 minutes. (I like to saute them really well for the first couple minutes over medium high heat then reduce the temperature a little to medium heat for the rest of the cooking time) If needed, add a splash of the measured broth to deglaze any brown bits or if the pot gets too dry, scraping the bottom of pot.
  2. Preheat oven to 325°F while cooking onions.
  3. Stir in minced garlic and brown sugar cook 1 minute then stir in the flour until well combined. Pour in the wine to deglaze while stirring and scraping bottom of pot to loosen any brown bits.
  4. Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, dried chives, mustard, and stir well to combine. Season with more salt and pepper as needed to taste. Bring to a simmer.

Assemble Pot Roast & Braise

  1. Return the roast to the pot along with any juices from plate. You want the liquid to cover about ¾ or more of the beef. If not, top with a little more broth as needed.
  2. Cover with lid and carefully transfer pot to preheated oven for 3.5 hours until fall-apart tender.
  3. Once done remove pot from oven and transfer roast to separate bowl and shred the beef using two forks or tongs, removing and discarding any excess pieces of fat plus the bay leaves.
  4. In the pot skim off layer of fat if desired then return shredded beef to pot with liquids and toss well to combine.

Serve

  1. If making sauce combine all the sauce ingredients in medium size bowl. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
  2. Serve the beef over mashed potatoes egg noodles or your favourite side, topped with shredded Gruyère cheese. Alternatively, pile the beef onto a buttered toasted baguette or hoagie roll, sprinkle with Gruyère, and broil until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly. I like to serve mine with Horseradish cream sauce with a side of salt and vinegar chips, or add the chips right into the sandwich for some crunch! See notes below for more alternatives.

Recipe Notes

  • For dramatic effect many recipes call for shredding cheese right overtop the beef in the pot and broiling it until melted and serving it with the melted cheese right from the pot this is an excellent idea if serving it right from pot over rice, mashed potatoes or noodles. If you are making sandwiches I suggest toasting, broiling buttered bread then topping with beef and shredded cheese and broiling until melted.
  • Pot roast is classically made with boneless chuck roast. This cut of beef is nicely marbled and does very well cooked low and slow. It can render quite a bit of fat after cooking. If you want to minimize the fat, after the cooking time is done, use a fat separator to strain the cooking liquid or if making ahead and then chill the pot roast, the fat usually collects on top and you can easily be scooped out of the dish and then simply reheat and serve. You can also try a different cut of beef, like sirloin tip roast, arm roast, or bottom round roast - all good for slow cooking. Because they have less fat, they put off less liquid while cooking, so keep an eye on the meat and add extra broth or liquid as needed.
  • Slow Cooker Instructions: Sear roast then transfer it to the slow cooker. Caramelize onions and transfer onion broth mixture over the roast in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours, until the beef is fork-tender. Carefully remove the roast from the slow cooker, discard any bones and excess fat, then shred the beef. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker, stirring it into the rich onion sauce.

French Onion Pot Roast