# Italian Pot Roast

A 3 lb chuck roast cooked 6 hours on LOW with crushed tomatoes, Italian herbs, red onion and garlic, served over polenta or pasta.

 

 

 ![Italian Pot Roast](https://irenpins.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/ire-pot-roast-italian.webp)  

 [Print](#wpzoom-recipe-card-italian-pot-roast) 

  

 

 

 

## Italian Pot Roast

Recipe by Iren Pavlenko

 

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0.0 from 0 votes ** 

Course: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

6

hours 

A 3 lb chuck roast cooked 6 hours on LOW with crushed tomatoes, Italian herbs, red onion and garlic, served over polenta or pasta.

### Ingredients

- 3 lb boneless chuck roast
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 carrots, sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup grated Parmesan

### Directions

- Season the roast with salt and pepper and rub it with the Italian seasoning and oregano.
- Sear it in the oil 3 minutes per side, or skip the sear for a 10-minute morning.
- Scatter the onion, garlic and carrots on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Set the roast on top.
- Mix the crushed tomatoes, broth and balsamic vinegar and pour them around the roast.
- Cover and cook 6 hours on LOW. Start checking at 5½ hours.
- Test with two forks; the meat should pull apart easily.
- Shred the roast in the pot and stir it through the tomato sauce.
- Taste and add salt if needed.
- Serve over polenta or pasta with basil and Parmesan.

 

### Notes

 

Because the sauce is acidic, this roast finishes earlier than the others and dries out if held. Leftovers make a good pasta sauce.

 

  

## Why Italian Pot Roast finishes early

 

Because the sauce is acidic, this roast finishes earlier than the others and dries out if held. Start checking at 5 and a half hours. Balsamic vinegar and Italian herbs give the sauce a rounded flavor.

 

The balsamic adds a little sweetness that rounds out the tomatoes, and the red onion softens into the sauce. Finish with fresh basil and parmesan so the plate tastes bright. If the sauce looks thin at the end, lift out the roast and simmer the liquid on the stove for 10 minutes. Spoon it back over the meat and serve.

 

## Swaps that work for Italian Pot Roast

 

Red wine can replace part of the broth. Fresh basil beats dried when added at the end. Serve over polenta or pasta.

 

## Italian Pot Roast leftovers and sides

 

Leftovers make a good pasta sauce, as the meat shreds into the tomatoes. They keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

 

The mistake is assuming longer is better. Here it is not.