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Pot roasts are among my favourite meals and this Italian style pot roast is just packed with flavour! This recipe is super simple! You brown the beef, cook pancetta (bacon) and veggies before adding broth, tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, and Italian seasoning braising until the beef is falling apart tender! You can either simmer pot roast on the stove, or in the oven, or in a slow cooker making things nice and easy! I like to serve this Italian style pot roast over gorgonzola polenta, or pasta, or gnocchi, or mashed potatoes, etc.
![Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto) Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto)](https://www.closetcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Italian-Pot-Roast-Straccato-1200-3376.jpg)
Italian Pot Roast (Stracotto)
A slow braised Italian style pot roast in a tasty tomato sauce.
ingredients
- 4 ounces bacon (or pancetta), diced (optional)
- 3 pounds beef (such as chuck), cut into 3 large pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup carrot, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 sprig thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 sprig rosemary (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Cook the bacon in a large oven safe saucepan (dutch oven), over medium heat, before setting aside.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and brown in the bacon grease, over medium-high heat, in the pan before setting aside.
- Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and bacon, and mix before adding the beef.
- Either: (1) bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the beef is falling apart tender, about 2-4 hours; OR (2) cover, transfer to a preheated to 275F/140C oven and cook until falling apart tender, about 2-4 hours; OR (3) transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove the sprigs of thyme, rosemary and bay leaves, and enjoy!
Option: Replace some or all of the broth with a dry white or red wine.
Option: Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste along with the garlic.
Option: Add 1 spring sage ( (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped or ½ teaspoon dried).
Option: Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
Option: Add 1/4 cup grated parmesan.
Option: Serve over pasta, gnocchi, polenta, mashed potatoes, etc.
Oh yum! This looks delicious and easy to prepare. I’ll try it! Mahalo, Kiyo
This looks similar to a recipe my mother in law used to make she adds chorizo and cut up potatoes delicious!
Kevin, I am sure you make some wonderful dishes in your closet kitchen, but this is not it. This is not Italian stracotto, call it whatever you want, but not that.
Made this today in an electric frypan. Used beef roast as it was on sale. I reckon we will get 8 plates out of this and maybe a few sandwiches. It was delicious. I will definitely be making this again. Might add some more root veggies to it next time. Thanks for sharing.
Can you add potatoes to the roast? And if you can when would you add them?
Yes you can! You can add them at the beginning of Step 6.
Made this for dinner and it was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend.
Looks good, and since I always cook my pot roast with celery, onions, carrots and stewed tomatoes, I’m sure I would really enjoy it. Boiled potatoes, mashed, oven roasted or harvest time baby b’s boiled in their jackets, sliced in half and fried in butter with salt and pepper.