Giada pot roast from Giada De Laurentiis rubs a 5-pound chuck roast with garlic, thyme, and rosemary before braising it in red wine and tomato sauce. And the whole dish serves 8 at approximately 550 calories per serving in about 3 hours and 40 minutes, since most of that is hands-off oven time at 300°F.
P2: Where most pot roast recipes dump the potatoes in at the start and let everything cook together, Giada holds them back until the last 30 minutes uncovered. So the potatoes stay intact instead of dissolving into the sauce, and the braising liquid reduces into a thicker, more concentrated pan sauce.
P3: Searing the roast on all sides until golden brown before it goes into the oven is what builds the flavor base for the entire braise. And without that crust, the wine and broth have nothing to deglaze, so the finished sauce tastes flat instead of deep and savory.
Source: Giada De Laurentiis (Giadzy.com)
Giada Pot Roast Recipe
Course: BeefCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes3
hours550
kcalA garlic, thyme, and rosemary rub seasons the chuck before a hard sear in olive oil browns all sides in a Dutch oven. Then red wine, beef broth, and tomato sauce surround the meat for a 2 1/2-hour covered braise, and Yukon gold potatoes join uncovered for the final 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- For the herb rub:
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the roast:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5 pounds beef chuck roast
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 cup tomato sauce (homemade or store-bought)
1/2 pound small Yukon gold potatoes (about 8)
Directions
- Preheat the oven: Heat to 300°F.
- Make the herb rub: Then mix the garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Rub the roast: Once combined, rub the mixture evenly over all sides of the chuck roast.
- Sear the meat: Then heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over high heat, reduce to medium-high, and sear the roast about 4 minutes per side until golden.
- Remove and cook the vegetables: Once seared, transfer the roast to a plate, then add the onion and fennel wedges to the pot for 3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pot: Once the vegetables are fragrant, pour in the red wine and beef broth and simmer 2 to 3 minutes while scraping up the brown bits.
- Add the tomato sauce: Then stir in the tomato sauce and return the roast to the pot, nestling it into the vegetables.
- Braise covered: Once the roast is back in, cover with the lid and place in the oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- Turn the meat: About halfway through the braise, flip the roast once so both sides cook evenly in the liquid.
- Add the potatoes: After 2 1/2 hours, remove the lid and scatter the potatoes around the meat.
- Finish uncovered: Then return the pot to the oven uncovered for another 30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and the meat is tender.
- Rest before serving: Once done, let the pot roast rest 30 minutes, then slice and serve with the fennel, potatoes, and pan juices spooned over.
FAQs
What kind of red wine works best for this braise?
A dry, medium-bodied red like Chianti or Sangiovese fits the Italian flavors of the herb rub and tomato sauce. And since only 1 cup goes in, the wine concentrates during 3 hours of braising, so anything too tannic or oaky turns bitter.
But avoid sweet reds like Lambrusco, because the sugar caramelizes and makes the sauce taste jammy instead of savory. And cooking wine from the grocery store adds too much sodium on top of the 2 teaspoons of kosher salt already on the meat.
Why does the recipe braise at 300°F instead of higher?
Low heat keeps the braising liquid just below a simmer inside the covered pot, which breaks down the collagen in the chuck slowly over 2 1/2 hours. And a higher temperature pushes the liquid to a boil, so the muscle fibers tighten and the roast turns tough instead of fork-tender.
This same principle applies to the giada cioppino, where gentle simmering protects the seafood from overcooking. But unlike a quick stew, pot roast needs the full 3 hours because a 5-pound chuck has far more connective tissue to melt down.
H3: Can I skip the fennel or use a different vegetable?
Fennel softens into sweet, silky wedges during the long braise, and its anise flavor complements the rosemary and thyme in the rub. But if you do not like fennel, celery cut into thick chunks holds up for 3 hours without falling apart.
And extra onion wedges fill the space if you want to keep it simple. But avoid quick-cooking vegetables like zucchini or bell peppers, because they dissolve completely during the covered braise and turn the sauce mushy.
Can I make this the day before serving?
Pot roast is one of those dishes that tastes better reheated, because the meat absorbs the braising liquid as it cools overnight. So cook it through the full rest, slice it, and store the slices in the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.
Then reheat the whole container gently on the stovetop over medium-low until the sauce simmers, which takes about 20 minutes from cold. And the potatoes hold up well overnight, since Yukon golds keep their shape better than russets do when stored in liquid.
What should I serve alongside pot roast?
Crusty bread or polenta soaks up the wine and tomato pan juices well, and either keeps the meal in an Italian direction. And the giada holiday biscotti make a light dessert after a heavy braise, since the crisp cookies contrast the rich meat course.
But skip starchy sides like mashed potatoes, because the Yukon golds already cover that role inside the pot. And a simple bitter green salad with red wine vinaigrette adds freshness that cuts through the braised richness of the chuck.
