1 Pot Roast, 3 Easy Meals! by Natalie

I’ve always been a big fan of my slow cooker, but I recently got a pressure cooker, despite my fears of blowing up my kitchen. I AM IN LOVE.

I’m not a devout meal prep girl, but one thing I do sometimes is make a big batch of shredded meat and either freeze it for future meals or use it throughout the week. Already having seasoned, cooked protein is such a timesaver on busy weeknights!

Today I’m going to give you a basic shredded pot roast recipe and show you three easy meals to make with it.

I realize that not all of you have a pressure cooker, so I’ll give slow cooker directions as well. You have a slow cooker, right? If not, you can have one of mine. I’m somewhat of a slow cooker hoarder.

 
 

Okay, start off with a 4-5 pound beef roast. The cut doesn’t really matter as long as it’s got a lot of meat on it. I prefer boneless roasts, but you can use a bone-in roast if you like.

If you’re using a pressure cooker, you’ll need to cut the roast into large chunks. For slow cookers, this step is optional, but it will cut down on some cooking time if you cut it up.

I also showered the roast with a few generous pinches of sea salt and cracked black pepper.

 
 

There’s a big “to sear or not to sear” debate. Many recipes will ask you to sear the meat on both sides before pressure cooking or slow cooking to add flavor to the meat, and I do it occasionally if I think that I’ll really need a flavor boost. In this case I’ll let you make the call. Personally, I didn’t think that this recipe needed it.

Plus, it’s an extra step and and extra dirty pan. I don’t blame you if you want to avoid that.

 
 

We want this meat to be versatile so I seasoned it very neutrally—like a classic pot roast. Mushrooms are optional but I found that they gave the pot juices more substance, and slow-cooked mushrooms are to die for.

In that little bowl is a mixture of flavor-boosting ingredients: garlic, onion powder, crushed pepper flakes, and Worcestershire sauce (you can substitute coconut aminos if you happen to be eating paleo or Whole30 compliant).

 
 

Add the mushrooms and the bowl o’ flavor along with some beef broth to the pot.

If you’re using a pressure cooker, it’ll need to process on high pressure for 2 hours. If you’re using an Instant Pot, set it to Manual for 120 minutes.

If you’re using a slow cooker, close the lid and cook it on low for 8–10 hours (for a whole roast) or 6–8 hours (for a cut-up roast).

 
 

By now your house will smell pretty amazing and you’ll have fall-apart tender beef to pull out of your pot. Shred it with a couple of forks.

 
 

Divide the beef, mushrooms, and pot juices into three containers. You may want to put the lids on quickly in case you have a 2-year-old climbing around. They love stuff like this.

You can either freeze these portions or use them in meals during the week! Either way you’ve got a big chunk of dinner prep done.

Here are 3 meals to get you started!

 
 

Simple Shredded Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

One option is to do a simple shredded beef stir-fry. If you have a favorite stir-fry sauce, use about 1/2 cup of that. I included a from-scratch recipe below.

 
 

BBQ Ranch Baked Potatoes

Here’s another option! This one is FOUR ingredients. Okay, five if you need a garnish. And maybe six if you roast some broccoli. But still. It’s quick and delicious and you’ll be a Tuesday night hero.

 
 

Shredded Beef Tex-Mex Salad

Guys, I could eat Tex-Mex salads every single day of my life, and boosting this pot roast with some taco seasoning is a dream come true.

And yes, this recipe has ranch dressing, too. I’m six years old, okay?

 
 

What would you do with a giant pot of shredded beef? I’d love to have more meal ideas to add to my arsenal!