Add These 3 Packets To Beef Pot Roast For 10X The Flavor

Pot roast is, in short, magical. While it is indeed a boomer dish, there are plenty of innovative spins on pot roast recipes that help you truly make it your own. If you want to make it easier on yourself — as if flopping a piece of tough, affordable meat in a pan with chopped root veggies isn't easy enough — turn to seasoning packets to elevate the flavor of your dish and circumvent your spice rack altogether.

However, you shouldn't limit yourself to just one seasoning packet. The secret is to use a trio per 3 pounds of meat: Italian-style salad dressing mix, brown gravy mix, and ranch dressing mix. These packets contain a medley of flavors, including hearty, umami notes from the brown gravy; Italian herbs, such as oregano and thyme, in the salad dressing; and the familiar buttermilk undertones and sharp dilly flavor from the ranch. To prepare this roast, mix the seasonings with a little bit of water before pouring them into your slow cooker with your cut of choice. The packets may be high in sodium, so look for low-sodium options if you're looking to cut back.

These three packets aren't the only ingredients you can upgrade pot roast with; consider bringing French onion soup mix into the fold. You can turn it into a flavorful dry rub for the outside of the meat, or simply add it to the water with the rest of your seasonings. Up the ante by adding slow-cooked onions and a glug of red wine to the pot as it's cooking to enhance the soup mix's savory flavors. If the packets just aren't cutting it, feel free to supplement them with garlic or onion powder, or some freshly cracked pepper.

Your shortcut-seasoned pot roast can be paired with an array of sides. Besides adding carrots, parsnips, and potatoes to the roast, you can also serve a side salad for freshness. To counter the saltiness and savoriness of the seasonings, serve the salad with an acidic, light dressing.