Slow Braised Italian Pot Roast, a Cozy Stracotto for Sunday Supper

Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto)

If you want a Sunday supper that fills the house with the smell of tomatoes, herbs, and slow cooked beef, this Italian pot roast is the recipe to make. You may also see it called stracotto.

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It is a slow braised Italian style pot roast in a tasty tomato sauce, and it is packed with flavor while staying very simple to put together.

The method is friendly to any home cook. You brown the beef first for deep flavor, soften the onion, carrot, and celery, then add broth, crushed tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, and Italian seasoning and let the pot do the rest. No fancy techniques and no hard to find ingredients, just a Dutch oven and a little patience.

The sauce gets its character from the crushed tomatoes, the beef broth, and a full tablespoon of garlic, with thyme, rosemary, and Italian seasoning layered on top. Two bay leaves round out the flavor while the beef braises, and the red pepper flakes add gentle warmth if you want it. Salt and pepper do the rest at the table.

One of the best things about this recipe is that it gives you three ways to finish the braise. Keep it on the stovetop, slide the covered pot into a 275F (140C) oven, or move everything to a slow cooker and walk away for the day.

Whichever route you choose, the beef comes out falling apart tender and the tomato sauce is begging to be spooned over something cozy.

The active work happens at the beginning: browning the beef, softening the vegetables, and building the sauce. After that, the covered pot takes over and the kitchen starts to smell wonderful.

Most of that cooking time is hands off. Once the pot is covered, you are free to tidy the kitchen, set the table, or simply relax while dinner takes care of itself.

Serve it over gorgonzola polenta, pasta, gnocchi, or mashed potatoes. A simple green salad on the side is all you need to round out the plate.

Here is the quick overview before we get into the details.

This recipe is adapted from the original Italian pot roast stracotto recipe at Closet Cooking. If one pot dinners are your kind of cooking, my one pot Dutch oven meals collection is a good next stop, and you can also compare it with this top rated Italian pot roast for another take on the same classic.

Ingredients

Nothing here is hard to find. For 6 servings you need one pot’s worth of beef, a handful of vegetables, and a few pantry staples that do most of the flavor work.

• 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
• 1/2 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

For the stovetop and oven methods you need a large oven safe saucepan, such as a Dutch oven. If you plan to use the slow cooker option, that appliance does the work instead.

About the bacon or pancetta. It is optional, but it adds a savory base and leaves you with the fat for browning the beef. If you skip it, a little oil in the pot works just fine.

About the beef. Chuck is the classic choice because it has enough connective tissue to turn silky after a long braise. Cutting the beef into 3 large pieces keeps it juicy and helps it fit the pot in one layer.

About the tomatoes and broth. Together they make up the braising liquid, so the beef sits in a shallow bath of sauce as it cooks and the sauce reduces around it.

About the garlic and herbs. The recipe lists 1 teaspoon each of chopped fresh thyme and rosemary, with 1/2 teaspoon of the dried version as the substitute. The Italian seasoning can be swapped for oregano if that is what you have in the cupboard, and the bay leaves go in whole.

About the salt and pepper. You season the beef with salt and pepper before browning, then taste and adjust again at the end, so keep the grinder handy.

Instructions

Everything happens in one pot, from browning to braising. Read through the steps once, then get started.

1. Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon in a large oven safe saucepan, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat, then set it aside.
2. Brown the beef. Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear it in the bacon grease over medium high heat, about 4 to 6 minutes per side, then set it aside. Do not rush this step, because that deep brown crust is where a lot of the finished flavor comes from.
3. Soften the vegetables. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the garlic. Stir in the garlic and the red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Build the braise. Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and the reserved bacon, mix, then return the beef to the pan.
6. Braise until falling apart tender. Choose one of these three methods.
   • Stovetop: bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer covered until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2 to 4 hours.
   • Oven: cover the pot and transfer it to an oven preheated to 275F (140C), then cook until falling apart tender, about 2 to 4 hours.
   • Slow cooker: transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
7. Finish and serve. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove the bay leaves, and enjoy.

A covered pot does not need stirring, so leave the lid on and check the beef near the end of the cooking window.

Which method should you pick? The stovetop and the oven both land in the same 2 to 4 hour window and give you a slightly deeper, more concentrated sauce. The slow cooker is the hands off option for a busy day, and it rewards you with the same tender beef after 8 to 10 hours on low.

Whichever method you choose, the cues stay the same. The beef should be tender enough to fall apart, and the sauce should have reduced into something rich enough to spoon over your base of choice.

Use the texture as your timer. The roast is ready when the beef is falling apart tender, so if it still resists a fork, give it more time in the pot.

When it is done, spoon the beef and the sauce over gorgonzola polenta for the classic pairing, or over pasta, gnocchi, or mashed potatoes. The sauce is rich and tomato forward, so it stands up especially well to soft, creamy bases.

This makes 6 servings, which is a comfortable fit for a family dinner, and a side of garlic herb roasted potatoes, carrots, and zucchini turns it into a bigger spread.

Once you have made the recipe as written, these small additions are easy ways to change the mood of the pot.

• Add 1 ounce of reconstituted and chopped dried porcini mushrooms along with the onions, carrots, and celery.
• Replace some or all of the broth with dry white wine or red wine.
• Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste along with the garlic.
• Add 1 teaspoon chopped sage, or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage.
• Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.
• Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce. Gluten free versions are available for gluten free diets.
• Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, which is also available gluten free.
• Stir in 1/4 cup grated Parmesan at the end.
• Serve over pasta, gnocchi, polenta, mashed potatoes, or similar.

Nutrition facts below are the source values for this recipe, calculated per serving.

• Brown the beef in the bacon fat for depth of flavor.
• Braise with tomatoes, broth, and herbs until the beef is falling apart tender.
• Pick stovetop, oven, or slow cooker based on your day.
• Serve over polenta, pasta, gnocchi, or mashed potatoes.

That is the whole recipe. Brown the beef, braise it with tomatoes and herbs, and let the pot turn a tough cut into something tender enough to eat with a spoon. Enjoy.

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Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto)

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Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto) If you want a Sunday supper that fills the house with the smell of tomatoes, herbs, and slow cooked beef, this Italian pot roast is the recipe to make. You may also see it called stracotto.

• Total Time: 225 min
• Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

4 ounces bacon, diced
3 pounds beef 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
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups beef broth
1 can (14.5 ounce) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves

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Instructions

1-Cook the bacon in a large oven: Cook the bacon in a large oven safe saucepan (dutch oven), over medium heat, before setting aside.
2-Season the beef with salt and pepper: Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear/brown in the bacon grease, over medium-high heat, in the pan, about 4-6 minutes per side, before setting aside.
3-Add the onion, carrot, and celery and: Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes.
4-Add the garlic and red pepper flakes: Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
5-Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, thyme, rosemary,: Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and bacon, and mix before adding the beef.
6-Either: Either: (1) bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2-4 hours; OR (2) cover, transfer to a preheated to 275F/140C oven and cook until falling apart tender, about 2-4 hours; OR (3) transfer to a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours.
7-Season with salt and pepper to taste,: Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove the bay leaves, and enjoy!

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• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 210 min
• Method: mixed

Nutrition

• Calories: 427
• Sugar: 5 g
• Sodium: 636 mg
• Fat: 18 g
• Saturated Fat: 7 g
• Carbohydrates: 12 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 55 g
• Cholesterol: 155 mg