This Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast simmers low and slow in a rich, tomato-based sauce with tender carrots. It’s a rustic, comforting meal – perfect for a cold day!

Hi guys. I’ve got something real special for you today. Every time I make this Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast I’m just floored out how delicious it is. If you’ve got a slow cooker in your kitchen, this is a must try recipe!
It starts with a lean top round roast and roughly chopped carrots that cook low and slow in a mixture of delicious but simple ingredients. One of the things I love most about this recipe is the sauce that is created as the roast cooks in your slow cooker throughout the day. It is ready to serve with no thickening and no skimming of fat. It’s luscious and it is delicious!
While we love our Dutch Oven Pot Roast and Instant Pot Pot Roast, this is a pot roast with a nod to Italian flavors including a tomato-based sauce and an assortment of dried herbs.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Beef roast: I recommend that you use a boneless top round beef roast in the 2 ½- to 4-pound range, depending on how may you are serving. Count on about ½ pound of beef per person. So, a 3 pound roast will be enough to serve 6 adults. Go bigger if you’d like leftovers. See more about this cut below.
- Canned tomato products: A can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and a tomato sauce.
- Fresh produce: Diced white or yellow onion, a couple of ribs of celery, diced, a few carrots cut into chunks, and minced garlic.
- Broth: I use Reduced Sodium Better Than Bouillon to mix up the exact amount of beef broth I need.
- Seasoning: Dried spices pack more of a punch than fresh and hold up far better in slow cooker recipes than fresh. You’ll need rosemary, thyme, basil, a bay leaf, and a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Flavor boosters: Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and a little red wine add big flavor to the sauce. For the best result, use a medium to full-bodied wine, like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. And, remember, if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it.
The Best Cut for Italian Pot Roast
My favorite cut of roast to use for this recipe is a beef top round roast. You may have heard that you shouldn’t use this lean cut in your slow cooker. Forget that – it’s the perfect choice! Because it is lean, it allows you to serve the gravy that is created as the roasts cooks without any skimming of fat. It’s ready to serve and it is fabulous! This cut requires a long cooking time so be sure to plan ahead. You could go with an eye of round or rump roast, but just be sure to stick with one of these lean cuts for the best result.
As much as I love a good chuck roast, I would not recommend it for this recipe. It’s a very fatty cut that won’t result in the same effortlessly clean, ready to serve sauce. If you do go with a chuck roast, I recommend that you chill the finished sauce and skim the fat off the surface sauce before serving.
How to Make Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
- Season the roast with salt and pepper and sear it in olive oil until nicely browned. Remove from heat and Transfer the browned roast to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Return the skillet to heat and saute the onion, celery, and minced garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan.
- Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker with the roast.
- Scatter the carrots over the top and pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce around the roast. Whisk together the beef broth, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a measuring cup or small bowl. Pour the mixture around the roast. Sprinkle rosemary, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper over the roast and tuck a bay leaf into the sauce mixture. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 9 hours or on for High for 6 to 7 hours.
Serving Suggestions
Once the roast is fork tender, there a are a couple of different options for serving it.
- Transfer the roast it to a cutting board and slice against the grain or use two forks to pull it apart. Place it on a serving dish with the carrots and garnish with a little parsley. Transfer the sauce from the slow cooker to a gravy boat.
- Or, just break up the tender roast right into the sauce and serve it straight from the slow cooker.
Such a beautiful thing to come home to – a beautifully cooked roast and carrots with a to-die-for sauce.
If you want to serve your Italian Pot Roast with potatoes I highly recommend the easy Parsley Potatoes pictured in this post. Or, spoon it over a mound of Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes or Mashed Red-Skinned Potatoes. Browse my entire collection of side dish recipes for more ideas.
Gravy Options
The sauce that is created as you cook the roast will have texture to it from the tomatoes like you can see in this post. This is how I serve it most often, however, if you prefer a smoother sauce, see the options below.
- Use it as is – just spoon it into gravy boat.
- Strain it through a fine mesh colander for a smoother gravy.
- Blend it with an immersion blender.
Storage Tips
Refrigerate: Transfer leftover pot roast and carrots to an airtight container and the sauce to a separate container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: For longer storage, transfer leftovers to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating Tip: Warm leftovers with some of the sauce in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave, just until warmed through. The sauce will keep the roast moist and ensure that it won’t dry out.
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Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ½ to 4 pound boneless top round beef roast, see notes below
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional as needed
- 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 to 4 carrots, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup medium to full-bodied red wine, like Pinot Noir or Cabernet Savignon
- 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 8 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- fresh Italian parsley, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Season both sides of beef roast with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to a large skillet and place over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add roast and sear for a few minutes on each side, or until nicely browned. Remove from heat and transfer to 6 quart slow cooker.
- Return skillet to heat add additional olive oil, if necessary. Add diced onion, celery, and minced garlic. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes and then and add red wine. Cook, stirring to deglaze the pan for just a minute or two and then transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker with the roast. Scatter the carrots over the top and pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce around the roast.
- Whisk together the beef broth, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a measuring cup or small bowl. Pour the mixture around the roast.
- Sprinkle rosemary, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper over the roast and tuck a bay leaf into the sauce mixture.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or on for HIGH for 6 to 7 hours.
- When the roast is fork tender, transfer it to a cutting board and slice against the grain or use two forks to pull it apart. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the carrots to a serving dish with the beef. Transfer the sauce to a gravy boat (or see the options in the notes below).
- Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. Serve the beef with the carrots and sauce (see notes below for options).
Notes
- Use it as is – just spoon into gravy boat.
- Strain for a smoother gravy.
- Blend it with an immersion blender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on November 11, 2016. It has been updated with new text and images.
This Recipe is Wonderful! I added a few potatoes, cause my husband likes them cooked in with the carrots! The Sauce is Fantastic and there is lots of it! I used a 3lb Chuck Roast. Thanks for the Recipe, it sure is a Keeper!
Hello, could this recipe be adapted to cook in an Instant Pot? I’m guessing that the roast might just need to be cut into smaller chunks for quicker and even cooking?
It looks delicious!
The recipe was written for and tested in a slow cooker. Pressure cooking is a very different method so I can’t say for sure if the amounts and method would work well in an Instant Pot. You might want to check out my Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe.
Absolutely delicious! The meat was so tender and the tomato broth was perfect. I didn’t thicken the tomatoes at all and it was perfect. I also made the potatoes and they were delicious. I will make this meal again… absolutely.
Can you use balsamic vinegar in place of the wine and would the ratio be the same?
Thank you
Hi Richard. I wouldn’t recommend using the same amount. Balsamic vinegar packs quite a punch! I have a recipe for a Balsamic Beef Stew in my cookbook and that recipe calls for 1/4 cup. I’d replace the remaining amount with additional beef broth. Hope it works out for you!
Hi! I was wondering if you maybe have a suggestion for a substitution for the mustard? I have a lot of dietary restrictions unfortunately. Thanks!
Do you have the recipe for the side of potatoes? I’ve been checking back periodically since I found this recipe (which is delicious by the way).
I haven’t gotten around to publishing that potato side recipe yet but I have it on my list! I’m so glad you enjoyed the roast, Marissa, and thanks for checking back. I’ll get this recipe up as soon as possible.
Update! The recipe for the potatoes is here —> Garlic and Butter Broth Roasted Potatoes.
Two questions. .
First, do you have a recipe available for the potatoes? They look fantastic.
Also, the gravy. Is the gravy the remaining sauce in the pot after the roast cooks, or is that made separately, adding flour or ?
Thank you so much for recipe, it looks amazing and I’m looking forward to presenting it to my guests tomorrow night.
regards,
Alandra
Hi Alandra. I’m working on the post for the potatoes and will be sharing it soon so check back! And, yes, the sauce is ready to serve without any additional thickening or skimming of fat if you use the cut I’ve recommended here. That is one of my favorite things about this recipe! I hope it works out well for you.
Update! The recipe for the potatoes is here —> Garlic and Butter Broth Roasted Potatoes.
this is absolutely beautiful! I love pot roast but have never made a version like this before and I need to!
Thank you so much, Kayle!
HI,
I didn’t see where you add the carrots. Am I missing something? And is this Valerie Bertinelli? If so I must tell you that I have loved you since well forever. I would love to meet you one day. I have mad chocolate candy making skills if I do say so myself. Hubby and I have had a few restaurants. I am now a lunch lady and trying to start another food business. Thanks
Hi Nancy. The carrots are added just after you pour in the sauteed veggies. The recipe card has been updated. Thanks!