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This is a simple Workman’s Roast Crock Pot Recipe that produces a delicious and tender roast while creating its own delicious gravy as it cooks. Gotta love a multi-tasking recipe! Another delicious and tender roast recipe is my Mom’s Sunday Pot Roast.
It is called Workman’s Roast because it cooks for 8-10 hours in the crockpot or in a low-temperature oven. It’s meant to be quickly thrown together in the morning before you head out to work. Then it’s ready to eat when you get home. This is a great meal for when you have company and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Teriyaki Meatballs
- Pineapple Salsa Chicken
- Chipotle Shredded Chicken
- Hobo Dinner
- Kalua Pork
- Erin’s Yummy Slow Cooker Chicken
My mom made this at least every two or three weeks growing up. I love it! I especially love the gravy on steamed rice or mashed potatoes! Mmm, mmm. It’s sooo good!
how to make workman’s roast
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Put the roast in the crockpot or airtight roasting pan.
- Spoon the sauce onto the top of the roast.
- Place lid on crockpot or roasting pan.
- Set crockpot on low or oven to 250 degrees.
- Cook for at least 8 hours and no more than 10 hours.
- Enjoy!
Tips for making Workman’s Roast
- You can use any cut of beef roast. I usually just get whatever is cheapest.
- If cooking the roast in the oven, you need a roasting pan with an airtight lid.
- If the crockpot or roasting pan doesn’t fit tight, put a layer of tinfoil tightly over top and then put lid on it.
- You can use a partially frozen beef roast, and it will still turn out good.
- In place of the canned cream of mushroom soup, add one cup of cream, a can of mushrooms or some sliced fresh mushrooms, and a cube of beef bullion.
More easy dinners
- 4-5 lb beef roast
- 2 10.5 oz cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1 pkt onion soup mix
- 1½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Dash of garlic powder (about ⅛ tsp)
- Small squirt of ketchup (optional)
- Salt and Pepper to taste (I use about ¼ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp pepper)
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Put the roast in the crockpot or roasting pan.
- Spoon the sauce onto the top of the roast.
- Place lid on crockpot or roasting pan. Make sure crockpot lid or roaster lid fits airtight. If it doesn't, put a layer of tinfoil tightly over top and then put lid on it.
- Set crockpot on low or oven to 250 degrees.
- Cook for at least 8 hours and no more than 10 hours.
Loved this!!! Will definitely make it again. I did not add the ketchup and I used cream of celery instead of cream of mushroom. Gravy was awesome over mashed potatoes!
I will have to try it with the cream of Celery! Glad you liked it!
I too used cream of celery and did not put ketchup but did add a dash of gravy master. I always use when making an oven roast. It darkens the gravy a bit.
Recipe is delicious, and yes, great over mashed potatoes! One of my new comfort foods!!
I plan on making this tomorrow for my fiancé, daughter and I. The roast was frozen, and I took it out this morning, hoping it thaws in time for the crockpot tomorrow morning. If it doesn’t, will using a partially frozen roast work?
Thanks!
Yes, It will totally work! The roast in the picture was partially frozen when I stuck it in the crock pot. 🙂 Hope everybody likes it!
awesome! Thanks so much, I’ll definitely let you know the verdict! lol
OMG Delicious! RAVE reviews from my fiancé and I. My daughter is funny, she claimed she liked it, but wouldn’t eat much. Weird. But, totally making this again! The only thing I did different was I added baby carrots and cremini mushrooms. YUMM!!!!
Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Great! Yumm, carrots and mushrooms sound like a great addition!
Very tasty recipe. Left out salt and it was still salty enough.
Awesome!
Love this simple recipe. So yummy! I am making it for the second time in a month today!
Hi Kim,
Yeah! I am so glad you like it! I love hearing from happy readers! 🙂
This looks like a perfect Sunday afternoon dinner to me. Yum!!
This was my family’s roast every Sunday night when I was a kid. It’s so yummy!
This is making my mouth water!
Just Looking At This Pic Makes Me Oh So Hungry . The Best Part Is I’ve Got Most If Not All Of The Ingredients Already In My Pantry . All I Need Is The Roast …
I made this yesterday but my meat turned out tough and yucky. I used a chuck roast, what cut would have been better?
I usually use a top round roast or a chuck shoulder roast. How long did it cook for?
Could you add carrots, celery and red potatoes? No other liquid added but the 2 cans of coup?
Thanks!!
Yes you can add those veggies, but then there won’t be as much gravy at the end…wouldn’t really matter though cause your potatoes would already be flavored. If the roast is not frozen you will need to add a little water, about 1/3-1/2 cup
Ok, I guess I could also substitute the water for Beef broth. This is my first time even using a crock pot…lol Thanks!!
Yes, that would work really well and add even more flavor. Good luck! You just might get hooked on using a crock pot after this. 🙂
Thank you, I’ll let you know tonight… 🙂
This dish came out great …I’m not a great cook but my husband and I loved it and it was easy …thank you
Yeah! Don’t you just love a good simple crock pot recipe! 🙂 Thanks for coming back and letting me know you tried it.
So I’m a guy I don’t know.
When i make a can of Mushroom soup I pour in the soup then I fill or half fill the can with water and add the water. Does your soup call for equal water or?
Just wondering?
Jerry.
Hi Jerry,
For this recipe I just add the condensed soup and don’t add the usual water or milk to it…does that make sense?
Maria
Yes it does make sense. However I like that Mushroom soup gravy so I add water to the soup just to make it go a little farther.
Tweeked your recipe slightly made a 2 hour version came out really good. Do this recipe all the time at 350 degrees with pork ribs spuds and carrots onions always works.
Thank you for your reply.
Jerry
Awesome, I will have to try your version with pork sometime 🙂
Well I want to try the gravy with two cans of condensed mushroom soup must be really rich.
My mom makes it with two cans sometimes when she needs extra gravy. It still works great!
This was very good! I made it for company and it was a big hit. We served it over basmati rice. I made a gravy from what was left in the crock, thickening with cornstarch. I did use homemade Cream of Mushroom soup and instead of the onion mix I just used dried minced onions. Very, very good and I can’t wait for the leftovers! 🙂
Can I use something else besides cream of anything soup? I really hate cream of anything soups.
Yes. You can add one cup of cream and a can of mushrooms or some sliced fresh mushrooms and a cube of beef bullion.
did this recipe yesterday and was a hit!!! my daughters who are picky when it comes to different foods loved it!! i put it in at 1030am and left for work…my wife came from work and turned it off at 630pm and let me know it was great. I will be using this recipe again thanks!!
Hello! I’m making this for my husband and I. I’m using 2.15 pounds of meat, chuck roast. Will I still be following the same measurements? Or less? I wasn’t really sure!
Hi Michelle!
Yes, with a roast that size you should half the recipe.
Was the liquid in the pot thick enough to serve as gravy when the roast was done, or did it require thickening? Thanks in advance!
Hi Seanna,
It depends on how long it cooks for. Sometimes I have to add a little water to get a gravy like consistency. Other times it is just right.
Maria
Can you do this with a pork roast?
I never have, I don’t think the flavor will be the same, but it will probably still be tasty! 🙂
I only make it with pork roast, and it always turns out delicious!
I’ve never tried it with pork, I’ll definitely be doing that in the near future. YUM!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was fabulous! It’s definitely a keeper:)
Made this today and it was AWESOME! It cooked for about 10 hours in the crock pot and it was so tender and juicy. I poured juice from the crock pot into a saucepan and let it reduce for about 45 minutes at a boil on the stove. Rich deliciously thick gravy that was served over mashed potatoes. My boyfriend is a picky eater and very particular about pot roast. He could not get enough of this!
Love hearing this! So glad you both liked it! Yummy! We love the gravy over mashed potatoes too.
What will happen if it is cooking for more than 10 hours. I do not have a crockpot with a delay start. Can I just add more liquid?
Hi Jessica,
How long will it be cooking for? As long as you have it on low and it is a fairly large roast it can cook up to 12 hours. You could ad up to 1/4 extra liquid if you want.
Maria
I found your recipe last night and actually have this in the crockpot now! It’s been on low for six hours now. My crockpot has a locking lid with a steam vent so I tried your trick with foil to make it air tight. It sounding pretty loud – almost like a pressure cooker. Is that normal?
Hi Laura,
No, I don’t think the foil trick will work with a locking lid. You should take it out quick. It might be dangerous if it is making loud noises.I only use the foil because my lid is glass and doesn’t fit very snug-ly (is that a word). Good luck!
Maria
Thank you so much for this recipe, it is really delicious!!! It took 5 minutes to prepare and it’s going to save me from buying take out when I’m feeling lazy or too tired to prepare meals because it is SO easy. I’m a working mother of two. I just had my dad over for dinner (the pickiest eater I’ve ever met) and he loved it. Thanks again 🙂
Yay Tanya! I am so glad your family (especially Picky Dad) loved it. It makes me so happy that this recipe can help make your life easier because it is so easy! My other favorite 5 minute slow cooker recipe is Salsa Pineapple Chicken over rice. You should totally try it. It is AWESOME!!! https://reallifedinner.com/slow-cooker-pineapple-salsa-chicken-aka-mexican-delight/
Take Care and Carry on Busy Mama!
Maria
Hi I have a question, can I use celery and carrots in with this recipe? And also I have a 2.50lb chuck roast. Is that a good size and cut of meat?
Hi Jennifer,
I have never tried adding celery and carrots. It will probably be fine, my only concern is with the length of the cooking time, they could become over done. If you will be home during the day you could throw them in half way through the cooking process. Your roast size will be fine. This recipe works for most sizes of roasts. Good luck!
Maria
Ok thank you I will try it and let you know.
This recipe was fantastic. I didn’t change a thing, although I used a smaller roast – about 3 1/3 lbs. I usually cook Asian food which requires me at the stove from start to finish so I have a hard time walking away from the crock pot, so when I checked the roast a couple hours in, it was hard and tough, the liquid was thin and I started to panic. Just let it be and at hour 6, it was tender and perfect, the gravy was perfect and I served over mashed potatoes. GREAT recipe that we are going to make part of our winter dinner rotation. I don’t cook anything but Asian food usually and even I could pull this off and it was delicious and perfect! Thanks!
I making this tomorrow I am planning on using 2 roasts I large crockpot…thought I would use the 2 cans mushroom soup and 1 can of beef broth do you think this will work? The roasts are fairly small. Would greatly appreciate your advice…thanks
Yes, I think it will work, I would start with half the can of broth and see how think the gravy turns out and add the rest if needed. Good luck Cathy!
Thanks so much, I used too sirloin roasts…didn’t take the string off will that matter?
No, You will be able to get the string out when it’s done. My mom always left the string on her roasts when I was growing up. 🙂
They literally fell apart awesome recipe and thanks for the advice will definitely make again
Can I add potatoes, carrots and onions to this roast recipe? If I do, what changes should I make?
Hi Kassie,
I haven’t ever tried it that way. Because the cooking time is so long, It might make the veggies come out very over cooked. If you were going to be home anyway, you could put the veggies in a couple hours after you start the roast to avoid them getting too overcooked. You wouldn’t really need to adjust anything if you do it this way. Good Luck!
Maria
I poured in a can of red wine too and added my sauteed veggies about 3/4 of the way through. Delicious flavor and no squishy veggies.
Awesome, Thanks for coming back to let us know. I really appreciate it. A lot of people have wondered if veggies work. Thank you!
I LOVED this roast! I made it exactly as suggested and it was great. I’ve abandoned all other roast recipes for this one.
lol, Ashley! You are so cute! I am do glad you loved it.
In the crockpot as I type! My roast was to big for my crockpot so I had to smashed it in there..lol! I cant wait to devour that baby later! Will be back to give it a review 🙂
Awesome! Wish I had one in my crockpot right now. 🙂
Mmmmm what a wonderful weeknight dinner!
We LOVE Roast – have it at least twice a month, but I’m excited to try your version. Thanks!!
Totally the perfect fall comfort food!
This is a delightful, old-school recipe. Love it SO much! It’s recipes like this the family always goes crazy over and remembers the most. Pinned!
Ain’t that the truth! Thank you~
This sounds so good and easy!! Love meals like that!
My mother-in-law and I make a slightly different version of this and bake in a regular oven. We use Lipton’s Beefy Onion and Mushroom soup mix with the mushroom soup and I sometimes use chicken broth instead of water and don’t use any other seasonings. I always double this – makes EXCELLENT gravy! Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans w/bacon, corn, homemade rolls w/butter – comfort food heaven!
Can’t wait to try your version in the crock pot (I LOVE using my crock pot!).
I’m pinning this and your recipe for meatloaf (my son loves meatloaf!).
Love your site! Have a great day!
Your MIL’s version sounds yummy too. I just love a good roast. Thank you for taking time to comment and I hope you love the meat loaf recipe.
The roast in the picture looks like you browned it first?
Nope, just put it in totally raw, that’s my favorite thing about this roast is you don’t have to brown it first!
Marie, Thank you so much for this recipe. I made this last night and my husband and I couldn’t get enough of it. It was so simple and easy and that’s what I needed. I I have to log foods I eat and I was wondering if you had any nutritional info on it.
Thank you
I am so glad you liked the recipe! It definitely packs delicious flavor into a no fuss prep! I love it! I am sorry but I do not have nutrition info.
I feel silly for asking this.. I have a ton of meat from the butcher I’m trying to use, a roast being one of the cuts. I was trying to use things i had already to avoid a trip to the store.. Two questions I suppose.
1. Can i use Cream of Chicken instead of Cream of Mushroom?
2. Can avoid the Lipton Onion Soup mix all together, no substitutions? I’m not really a fan of it..
Sorry I didn’t see this until now, I have been on maternity leave and am just now getting back to blogging. The flavor will definitely be different with those changes but it would still taste good. If you don’t use a lipton soup mix I would suggest adding some beef bullion and some chopped onion or onion powder.
Tried this recipe and it was simply
AMAZING! If I am cooking a 2lb roast would I cook it for less time?
Thanks!
I usually do the same amount of time regardless of the size of the roast, but a smaller roast would probably be done at least an hour or two earlier.
I’ve made this dish numerous times and it’s delicious. A few weeks ago I attempted to cook this in an instant pot that was gifted to me and the meat wasn’t tender as I would cook in a regular crockpot that I had for 20+ yrs and finally broke. What did I do wrong? I’m assuming it’s a different method in an instant pot than a regular crockpot
With the instant pot you most likely need to add a cup of water. Instant pots can’t come to pressure if there isn’t enough liquid in the ingredients.