Not Your Average French Onion Pot Roast

Melted gruyere cheese on pot roast over a bed of rice.

Not Your Average French Onion Pot Roast

This Not Your Average French Onion Pot Roast combines the best of French onion soup and classic pot roast for a decadent, savory and satisfying meal. The caramelized onions, fork-tender beef and melted Gruyère cheese creates layers of flavor that'll have everyone coming back for more. It's a comforting but restaurant-quality dinner you can make at home in one pot and in the oven, for busy weeknights.

Prep Time10

Cook Time4

Total Time4 10

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, French, Vietnamese

Servings:

Calories: 620kcal

Equipment

Dutch oven or a heavy bottom pot

Ingredients

2 lbs chuck roast
3 large onions thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ cup dry red wine
1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
3 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base
3 cups beef broth plus more for deglazing
1 large bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
4 ounces Gruyère cheese grated
Neutral oil
Black pepper to taste

Instructions

Pat the chuck roast dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chuck roast on all sides until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325F.
In the same pot, add the sliced onions. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. If the bottom of the pot is browning too quickly, lower the heat and deglaze the pot with a little bit of beef broth as needed.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant and softened.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Dissolve Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base into warmed beef bone broth. Add broth into the pot along with tied up bunch of thyme and bay leaves.
Return the chuck roast to the pot, nestling it into the onions and liquid. Bring to a simmer, cover and then place it in the oven at 325F for 3 ½-4 hours until fork tender.
Remove the thyme bunch and bay leaves. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Top the chuck roast with grated Gruyère. Place it under the broiler on high for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Shred the meat and serve over rice or mashed potatoes!

Notes

Caramelize the onions until they're deeply browned, not a sad translucent brown. Do not rush this process. It makes all the difference.
Use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base to flavor your broth by dissolving 3 tsps into 3 cups of broth. Add more broth and bouillon as needed.
Use beef bone broth for more protein.
Use a fish sauce that contains only 2-ingredients, anchovies and salt. Red Boat Fish Sauce is a great one.

Nutrition