Level Out The Fatty Richness Of Pot Roast With One Simple Addition

The heartiness of pot roast is one of its biggest draws — it always makes for a filling, cozy meal. However, pot roast typically yields plenty of leftovers, and the richness can get overwhelming when you're eating it throughout the week. To balance out the heartiness of pot roast without compromising its flavor, add chili sauce.

Made with a meaty chunk of chuck roast, carrot and potato cubes, beef stock, and red wine, pot roast is the epitome of richness. Chili sauce's bright, tangy flavor cuts through the fatty taste, preventing the hearty dish from overpowering your palate. Though it's not an ingredient that's always featured in pot roast, chili sauce fits right in with the other flavors. The recipe often calls for tomato paste, which has a concentrated flavor that plays up the beef's umami flair. Chili sauce, a blend of tomato sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, and chili powder, brings out the tomato paste's sweetness while lifting the dish overall.

If you sample the roast and think it's a little too heady, you can swirl a tablespoon or two of the condiment into the pot and allow it to simmer with the broth. For the chili sauce to mesh with the rest of the dish, though, it can be added earlier in the process. Our harissa beef pot roast recipe adds the fiery, tangy North African paste to the seared beef right before the broth. It can also be stirred into the tomato paste when sauteing the aromatics.

Once the pot roast has been stowed away in the fridge or freezer, it doesn't have to be eaten in its whole form. When shredded up, there are plenty of clever ways to use leftover roast beef. We love to use up leftover pot roast for a savory weekday sandwich; the bright chili sauce gives the meat a lighter feel that makes for a filling, yet light-tasting lunch. Play up the tangy flavor with pickled red onions or keep things sweet by adding bread and butter pickles. Pile the ingredients on herbaceous Italian bread and finish it off with nutty Swiss cheese.

The tomato-based chili sauce can turn pot roast into a spicy pasta dish. Once it's shredded, heat it up in a pan with olive oil, chili sauce, tomato sauce, minced garlic, rosemary, and oregano. You can serve it over some al dente penne, or turn it into a pasta bake with ziti. After the sauce and beef have simmered for about half an hour, mix it in a casserole dish with the cooked ziti and cover it with mozzarella, parmesan, and Italian breadcrumbs before baking.

Leftover pot roast can also be tacked onto other recipes to add more protein or give them a heartier taste. This poblano potato breakfast hash features spicy peppers, smoky paprika and cumin, and earthy black beans, perfect for meaty, tangy pot roast. Heat up the beef in a separate pan before mixing it with the breakfast hash.