Crockpot French Onion Pot Roast (Printable Version)

Tender beef and caramelized onions simmered slowly in rich gravy, served over buttery egg noodles with melted Gruyère cheese.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef & Aromatics

01 - 3 lbs beef chuck roast
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
04 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
06 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste

→ Liquids & Seasonings

07 - 1 cup beef broth
08 - 1 cup dry white wine or additional beef broth
09 - 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
10 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Pasta & Finishing

12 - 12 ounces wide egg noodles
13 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
14 - 1 cup shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese, optional
15 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Season the beef chuck roast generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides until browned, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the seared roast to the crockpot.
03 - In the same skillet, add sliced onions and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized. Add minced garlic, thyme, and tomato paste, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Deglaze the skillet with white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Simmer for 2 minutes, then pour the mixture over the beef in the crockpot.
05 - Add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce to the crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours until the beef is very tender and can be easily shredded with forks.
06 - Remove the beef from the crockpot and shred using two forks. Return the shredded beef to the crockpot and stir to combine with the onion gravy.
07 - Cook egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain and toss with butter to coat evenly.
08 - Spoon buttered noodles onto individual plates and top generously with shredded beef and onion gravy. Sprinkle with Gruyère cheese and parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Eight hours of hands-off cooking means you can forget about dinner until the magic happens in your crockpot.
  • The deep caramelized onion gravy tastes like you've been simmering it for days, but the prep is genuinely simple.
  • Buttery noodles catch every drop of that savory, wine-kissed sauce, making it impossible to leave anything on your plate.
02 -
  • Don't skip the searing step, even though you're using a crockpot; that brown crust is where half the flavor comes from.
  • The caramelized onions need real time and patience, not rushed heat; low heat and stirring occasionally yields deeper sweetness than cranking the burner.
  • If your gravy seems too thin after cooking, remove the beef and simmer the liquid on the stovetop for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce it before returning the beef.
03 -
  • Use a wooden spoon to scrape the skillet during deglazing; metal can scratch and won't get into the corners as effectively.
  • If you accidentally overcook and the beef is falling apart, that's actually perfect; it'll shred into smaller pieces that distribute more evenly through the sauce.
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