Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto) with Tomato Herb Braising Sauce
By Mason Brooks
Prep
15 min
Cook
210 min
Total
225 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Strategy: Plan 15 minutes to prepare. This way, you can make Italian beef pot roast while preparing other meals. A beef chuck roast will be very tender when cooked in a tomato-broth base with other ingredients, including pancetta. Several methods are suggested, including stovetop, oven, and slow cooker.
Bacon or pancetta is added as a flavoring and ingredient for cooking beef and other vegetables, such as onion, carrot, and celery. Garlic, crushed red pepper, beef stock, canned tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning mix, and bay leaves are also braising ingredients. The chuck can be cut into three pieces for better browning and braising in a Dutch oven.
The roast is ready when it is tender, not simply cooked; it should pull easily when slow-cooked covered. Cover the pot when stewing on the stovetop or in the oven so the liquid can do its work. The biggest mistake cooks make when making this recipe is taking the roast out of the pot too early, before it is tender.
Serve tomato and beef mixture over pasta, gnocchi, polenta, or other dishes to soak up the sauce. The recipe also suggests serving it with Gorgonzola polenta. Remove bay leaves be
Why you'll love this recipe
- Gets dinner on the table in 15 minutes with minimal work on your part, since braising the meat for a long time makes it tender while you do other things.
- Uses one Dutch oven to cook bacon and meat with vegetables and sauce to minimize food residue and cleanup.
- Offers three methods for cooking the tomato and broth mixture. The mixture can be cooked on the stovetop or in the oven or slow-cooked.
- Uses typical grocery products, including chuck roast, canned tomatoes, beef broth, onion, carrot, and celery. Italian seasoning gives the sauce an Italian flavor.
- Makes a six-serving meal because there are three pounds of beef in a large quantity of sauce and other vegetables and seasonings.
- Can be served in a variety of ways, as a main dish with pasta, gnocchi, polenta, or mashed potatoes, along with the roast and sauce.
Ingredients
- •4 ounces bacon or pancetta (diced, optional)
- •3 pounds beef, such as chuck (cut into 3 large pieces)
- •salt and pepper (to taste)
- •1 cup onion (diced)
- •1 cup carrot (diced)
- •1 cup celery (diced)
- •1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
- •½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- •2 cups beef broth
- •1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- •1 teaspoon thyme (chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- •1 teaspoon rosemary (chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- •1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or oregano)
- •2 bay leaves
- •1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (reconstituted and chopped, optional)
- •dry white or red wine (optional, replace some or all of the broth)
- •2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
- •1 teaspoon sage (chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried; optional)
- •1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
- •1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce (optional; use gluten-free soy sauce for a gluten-free option)
- •1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional; use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce for a gluten-free option)
- •¼ cup Parmesan (grated, optional; add at the end)
- •pasta (optional, for serving)
- •gnocchi (optional, for serving)
- •polenta (optional, for serving)
- •gorgonzola polenta (optional, for serving)
- •mashed potatoes (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- 1
Cook the bacon in a large oven-safe saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, then set it aside.
- 2
Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- 3
Sear the beef in the bacon grease over medium-high heat for about 4 to 6 minutes per side, then set it aside.
- 4
Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- 5
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- 6
Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and bacon, and mix.
- 7
Add the beef to the pot.
- 8
For the stovetop method, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer covered until the beef is falling-apart tender, about 2 to 4 hours.
- 9
For the oven method, cover, transfer to a preheated 275F/140C oven, and cook until the beef is falling-apart tender, about 2 to 4 hours.
- 10
For the slow-cooker method, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours.
- 11
Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove the bay leaves, and serve.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
427
Protein
55g
Fat
18g
Carbs
12g
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