This is the first recipe I am posting and one of my absolute favorites. It great for chilly weather and I think super easy and convenient. The meat falls apart and the veggies soak up all that yummy beefy flavor. It is pretty affordable considering the fact that it will provide you with meals for days (or only a few if you are a fatass like me and my roommates). It is as simple as throwing the ingredients into a crock pot and letting it cook all day while you go about your busy schedule. You don’t even have to really monitor it at all.

One thing you will learn from my site is that my cooking doesn’t always really have exact measurements and that the best cooking comes from just kind of throwing shit together. But I know not everyone knows how much to put in so I will do my honest best to estimate! It is a lot easier than you think and how much you use of each ingredient really depends on how much flavor you like and how much you actually want to make.

Marinating time: at least a day

Prep time: 30-45 minutes (this is pretty much all the time you will have to put into it)

Cook time: At least 5 hours. I cooked mine for 7! The longer you cook it the more the meat falls apart.

So, what you will need: 

1. A pot roast of any size! – I used (and recommend) the Cabernet pot roast from Trader Joes. It may be a little pricier but it does most of the marinating for you and has a great flavor. If you are looking for cheap and accessible (TJs isn’t on most campuses), go to Walmart or any cheap supermarket and there are ones that are really affordable.
2. 3 cups of hot (near boiling) water
3. 3 cubes of Beef Bouillon (little cubes used for making broth)
4. 3-4 large red potatoes
5. 1/2- 1 bag of baby carrots depending on how many you want
6. a stock of celery
7. 1/2 of an onion ( I prefer red over white)
8. 2 1/2 cups of Cabernet wine (or any other dry red wine you prefer but no sweet wines! And ESPECIALLY NOT FRANZIA unless you are a serial killer).
9. 2 1/4 cups of vegetable oil
10. A tablespoon or two of minced garlic (or cloved, but better minced if you dont want to eat a chunk of garlic). This is a prominent flavor that cooks out well. If you like garlic do the extra tablespoon. It is recommenced that you use a fresh clove but you can use jarred as well.
11. 3 pinches of salt and 3 pinches of peppa
12. CROCKPOT! If you do not have one get one. They are life savers believe me.

Optional but RECOMMENDED (if you’re lookin to get nice with it and can afford the extra ingredients.)

1. tablespoon of sage
2. tablespoon of thyme
3. teaspoon of garlic powder
4. a couple good squirts of Dijon mustard
5. 1/4 of a cup of OJ… weird but trust me
6. 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
7. Juice from half a lemon
8. Bowtie noodles
9. 1-2 sweet potatoes.

Instructions:

1. Marinate the meaty good good – As mentioned this is all about what you like and can’t really be messed up. Unthaw the pot roast and put it in some kind of container that it fits in. You want to make sure it fits in there pretty snug so it is more fully submerged in the marinade. Throw in 1/4 a cup of Cabernet,  1/4 cup of vegetable oil, and half of the required minced garlic. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper. I personally like to rub the marinade into it using my hands but I get that that might gross some people out so it’s not necessary. Obviously wash your hands before unless you’re nasty. Cover it up and stick it in the fridge for at least a full day. I marinate mine for two for increased flavor. OPTIONAL: If you want an OG marinade throw in 1-7 of the optional ingredients as well (sage, thyme, garlic powder, Dijon mustard, OJ, red wine vinegar). Make sure you coat the entire roast on every side! Once it is done marinating…
2. Chop the veggies– Again this is all about preference. You can refer to my pics to see the sizes I chopped them into if you need more direction. You can put the baby carrots in whole or dice them into thirds like I did. You can peel the skin off the potatoes but I leave it on because the skin has a lot of nutrition and flavor as well. Dice the potatoes into bite sizes. You can chop the celery into more stalky portions or chop it into bite sizes as i did. Dice up the 1/2 onion. OPTIONAL: Peel and chop some sweet potatoes if you’re about that.
3. Throw it all in the pot- Pour in the hot water and the Bouillon cubes. Try to chop up the cubes so it dissolves into the water. Then throw in the roast (with the marinade juices as well), all of the veggies, the other 1/2 cup of Cabernet wine, and the other half cup of vegetable oil. Mix it all up so it is evenly distributed. You want Most of the ingredients to be submerged in the liquid but they can peak out at the top.
4. Cook it!– This is the easiest part ever. Put the crockpot on low heat, put the lid on, and simply let it cook for at least 5 hours or longer (you want the meat to be falling apart). I recommend that you flip the roast half way through the cook time for more even flavor on each side and give it a mix here and there. If you’re not home all day like me then you can ask a roommate to give it a stir.
5. Plate it =P – Put it in a bowl with a nice spoonful of broth and enjoy! OPTIONAL: My mom always serves her pot roast with some bow tie noodles. I choose not to because it is healthier without. However, this can double your meal portions. If you don’t know how to cook pasta then you’re probably starving in college, but all you really do is buy it boxed, throw it in some boiling water with a pinch of salt and a little oil and let it cook. Taste a noodle to make sure it is done and then strain the noodles. You can also put some butter on the noodles for extra flavor. If you are going to make bowtie noodles store and refrigerate them in a separate container from the pot roast so they don’t get all soggy and gross.

I am really excited to start sharing my recipes with friends, family, or really anyone that wants to learn how to cook. Especially college students who struggle to find a way to eat well on a budget. Cooking is not as hard and as scary as you think! Now is the time to learn if you haven’t already. It is a passion of mine and a great way to unwind and treat yoself. Food is also a great way to bring people together. Be sure to look out for my future posts or DM me with any requests or questions. Thanks and love you all. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!