For A Richer Pot Roast With Robust Flavor, Make It Italian Style

Following the most important tips for cooking pot roast, such as choosing the right cut of meat and achieving the perfect sear, almost always leads to a great result with tender and juicy beef and vegetables. That being said, you may still wish your go-to pot roast recipe had a bit more flavor. Fortunately, if you're looking to try a different recipe that includes both bright, savory flavors and perfectly soft, sliceable portions of beef, make your next roast Italian style.

More specifically, Italian pot roast, or stracotto, involves braising beef or slow cooking your beef roast in a rich and flavorful sauce made of cooked vegetables, chopped tomatoes, red wine, and select herbs. What makes this recipe unique, though, is its three to four hour cook time, which traditionally takes place over your stove. While there's a quicker way to cook pot roast via your Instant Pot, using the right assortment of extras combined with this long-form cooking method is what takes stracotto to the next level.

As a matter of fact, the meaning of stracotto in Italian is "overcooked." Furthermore, cooking this meat over your stove ensures a deeply flavorful sauce and extra juicy slices of beef. Just make sure to intermittently remove the lid of your pot and pour some of the sauce over your meat for peak tenderness. Speaking of which, there are a few additional ways to take this classic Italian recipe to the next level.

In order to make your stracotto sauce base more flavorful, start by cooking some diced pancetta in the same pot. Then, sear your roast and cook the vegetables in the pork's leftover fat. Pancetta gives this dish an extra dose of Italian flavor, plus some contrasting texture.

Next, once your vegetables cook down and you're ready to deglaze your pot, use one of your favorite full-bodied red wines. Better yet, choose a variety with sharp tannins that can sustain the low and slow cooking process. Top varieties include Chianti, primitivo, and cabernet sauvignon. Additionally, to ensure a tastier end result, flavor your fresh or canned tomatoes with plenty of herbs such as basil, fresh parsley, thyme, and rosemary. You can also balance the rich and savory flavors of your sauce with balsamic vinegar before serving.

Even though stracotto is traditionally made on stovetop, if you don't have time to babysit your stove all day, simply cook the roast in your oven for three to four hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Just make sure to use a cast iron pot and keep the lid on the entire time. You can also finish the roast over your stove as meal time ticks closer. Lastly, when you're ready to eat, serve shredded pieces of stracotto and vegetables with creamy Parmesan polenta, orzo, or homemade two-ingredient pasta made with spinach and flour.