Next Time You Make Pot Roast, Add One Cup Of This Condiment (It's A Delight)

If you grew up eating quintessential Boomer snacks and foods, chances are that you've had your fair share of pot roast. This dish receives wide acclaim for not only being homey and familiar flavor, but because it makes use of very tough and often inexpensive cuts of meat. Slow cooking releases all that tasty collagen, and it's nice that you can cook veggies like potatoes and carrots in the same pot as the meat. But for all the things that pot roast is, it can lack flavor dimension at times. Luckily, there are many store-bought sauces you can use to upgrade your pot roast — and if you want to channel more umami flavors and add some sweetness to your pot roast, turn to ketchup. 

This refrigerator-door staple adds brightness to stews, so it's easy to see how it can add complexity to a pot roast recipe. The sweetness will also draw your senses' attention to the other flavors at play, mainly the savoriness and saltiness of both the meat and the other seasonings. The amount of ketchup that you need to add depends on how much meat you're making, but generally ¼ cup to 1 cup added it to your pot or slow cooker with the rest of your seasonings is recommended. In a matter of hours, you'll be rewarded with a sweet, succulent, and umami pot roast; it'll be up to you whether you share this secret ingredient with your guests.

The good news about ketchup is that it's a very accessible and versatile sauce to include in your pot roast recipe. You can select a ketchup based on the flavor profile that you have in mind; popular Ketchup brands vary in terms of saltiness and sweetness, so be sure to give it a taste before you add it to your recipe. As a whole, ketchup is in good company with other savory seasonings, so if you have a brand that leans a little too sweet, consider adding a dash of Worcestershire sauce to balance it out. Some folks also like to add French onion soup mix seasoning to their recipe to introduce beefy flavors and depth, and ketchup could easily sit alongside this equally unexpected addition. 

Besides thinking about the other seasonings in your pot roast recipe, be sure to also consider the other veggies that you're cooking with your pot roast and how they'll interact with the ketchup's flavor. The sweetness of this condiment could elevate carrots and sweet potatoes, as well as an almost meaty portobello "pot roast."