Sometimes it is nice to have a recipe in your back pocket that you can throw on the dinner table in minutes and that will leave everyone feeling full and satisfied. This week my children will both start school and for the first time in my life, I am going to have a few hours on my own. I am sure there will be many more blog entries about this momentous occasion, but in the meantime I want to focus on the usefulness of that slow cooker that might be gathering dust in your kitchen.
When the school season starts, our slow cooker is the best tool that I can arm myself with to get dinner on the table. There are so many things that you can make in the slow cooker that are satisfying and will leave you with lots of yummy leftovers for the week.
This recipe is one of my favorites from our One Month with Your Slow Cooker article. If you haven’t seen this article, it is THE best tool for busy moms who want ideas for slow cooker meals that are true show-stoppers in the kitchen. I entertain with these dishes, I share them when I bring meals to families in need, and our family eats from these thirty recipes about once a week.
You will notice that few of our recipes have convenience foods or mixes in them, but this roast is my one exception to the rule. Do your best to look for low-sodium mixes though and avoid adding any salt to this recipe. These three little mixes and some water make the most flavorful roast. Not a hint of dryness in this roast and the leftovers heat up perfectly for a special lunch.
I shared the leftovers with my mom and served these sandwiches with multi-grain chips with salsa and a delicious batch of blueberry iced tea.
To Die For Pot Roast
1 beef roast – any kind (I look for roasts that are between 3-5 pounds)
1 package dried brown gravy mix (look for low-sodium varieties)
1 package dried Italian salad dressing mix (look for low-sodium varieties)
1 package dried ranch dressing mix (look for low-sodium varieties)
1 cup water
Place beef roast in slow cooker. Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl and sprinkle over the roast. Pour the water around the roast. Cook on low for seven to nine hours.
Do you have a favorite slow cooker recipe to share? I would love to get some new ideas for the school year! Please share!
I am sooo going to try this one!
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It sounds yummy, & so easy! I love my slow-cooker – I'll have to revisit that article!
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I love simple recipes! Especially in the crockpot
Yum!
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I made a pot roast last week that turned out really good too. With the leftovers, I shredded and then put them on the new Sara Lee thin round sandwich bread (they're like 100 cal) with a slice of cheese (not 100 cal!
) and cooked them in a dry skillet with a heavy skillet on top to make a panini-type sandwich. So good! Would be great to add some pepperoncini or banana peppers or roasted bell pepper.
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I have this recipe too but we call it '3 packet roast'. It's a standard favorite at our house. Our preferred version is with a pork roast. It is delish.
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I make one very similar to this…called 'to die for roast'…I think I found it on the my coupons boards once…anyway, here it is:
2 packets of au jus
1 packet italian dressing
1 packet hidden valley ranch
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
plus the roast
It is sooo good, and we eat of it for a few days.
Some things we've done to reduce sodium (when we share it with my inlaws) is to use half the packet on any or all of the packets used or add a potato to it (I'm not sure if it really helps, but it seems to make a difference).
I love crock pot recipes like this.
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This sounds sooo good and I was thinking about dragging out the crock pot this week anyway! I'll have to give it a try!
I have to ask, though, did you make the buns that you served them on?
Thanks for posting a great recipe!
Dawn S
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Yum-O! I have all these packets in the cabinet and some pork roast in the freezer.
Might need to change out a meal on the menu for the week and make this!
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Amy- That sounds so good!! I will have to try that!
Blogmia- I have a recipe that is similar to that, but I think it is Beef with Au Jus. I am not sure if it is a ranch packet or not, but that sounds soooo good!
Dawn- Yes, those are homemade buns.
Here is the recipe that I use for my white buns:
http://tinyurl.com/6yq6yz
And this is the recipe that I use for my wheat buns:
http://www.momadvice.com/blog/2009/03/whole-wheat-hamburger-hot-dog-buns.htm
Nancy- I have never tried it with pork roast, but I bet it is delicious!!
Thank you guys so much for the wonderful comments!
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Oh my gosh – this roast is SOOOO delicious. My husband always comments on my roast. I always think it will make great BBQ for leftovers, but there never are any!
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We love salsa chicken.
I take my chicken (I've even done this with frozen pieces) and brown the outside usually 1-2 pounds of skinless boneless breasts but anykind you like is fine. You don't have to sear it, we just like browned chicken. Then I send a bottled picante or salsa through the food processer (you can leave it chunky but we prefer non chunky so we process it smooth) I use the bigger bottles, pour half on the bottom of the crock pot, place your chicken and then cover with the remaining sauce. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked through. I have done low cooking with this but at 6 hours it was completly done and heading towards over cooked.
Then you can serve the pieces whole over rice and spoon sauce over the meat or our favorite is to shred the chicken, mix with sauce and use it as filling for soft tacos.
It's very moist and yummy and a big hit with us.
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