Pot Roast

Doug asked for pot roast for dinner sometime, and even suggested a recent recipe from the Orlando Sentinel. So I made him pot roast and homemade bread.

Ingredients:

Italian Dressing Mix:

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/3 tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp thyme
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• ¼ tsp celery seed 
• 1/3 tsp red pepper flake
• 1 tsp salt 
   

Pot Roast:

• 1 large Vidalia onion, cut into 1.5" wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup baby carrots, cut into halves
• 2 tablespoons Italian dressing mix (use all of mix above)
• 2 pounds pot roast (I used a chuck roast - this could be in two halves)
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1.5" wedges
• 2 cups low sodium beef or chicken broth
• 4 ounces softened cream cheese, diced + 2 tablespoons flour

Instructions:

1. Place onions, garlic, and carrots at bottom of crockpot.
2. Set crockpot to low heat, add 1 cup of broth.
3. Rub roast with dressing mix.
4. Sear roast briefly in a large pot, one minute per side.  (Optional, but recommended)
5. Place beef on top of onions & carrots in crockpot.
6. Add another cup or so of broth so meat is partially submerged.
7. Place bell peppers on top of meat and along sides.
8. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.
9. After 5 hours or so, soften 4 ounces of diced cream cheese, mix with 2 tablespoons of flour.
10. Remove 1/2 cup broth, mix in softened cream cheese. 
11. Stir cream cheese mix back into crockpot.
12. As needed, stir after 1 hour to blend in cream cheese further.
13. Slice roast into chunks, serve over rice or pasta or homemade bread.

Carole's Notes:

I'm not generally a pot roast fan, but I liked this version. Doug really liked it.

The pot roast recipe was adapted from one in the May 3, 2018 Orlando Sentinel.
The Italian dressing mix is lightly adapted from https://bakeatmidnite.com/copycat-good-seasons-italian/