Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast with Mushrooms inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis for #SundaySupper

I should have known I’d be a foodie.  Even back in the days when, in my world, fruit = banana, vegetable = corn, lunch = ham sandwich on potato roll, no mayo or mustard, I would go into my grandma’s bedroom, gather all her bottle of perfume, boxes of jewelry, and knick knacks, and…

pretend they were my ingredients and kitchen gadgets while I watched The Frugal Gourmet.  My destiny was clearly sealed.  In high school, after I finished my homework, I would sit in my room to watch Too Hot Tamales and How to Boil Water (well, when Melrose Place, 90210, and Friends weren’t on).  Now, other than Glee, the only thing I set my DVR for is Top Chef, Cupcake Wars, Sweet Genius, and the like.  When I travel, I do like to find little hole in the wall places, but I also get excited to try a restaurant owned by Emeril or Bobby or Wolfgang or whoever.  Clearly I am caught up in the celebrity chef culture.  And while some people do solely watch for the entertainment value (which is fine, by the way), I have learned so many tricks and techniques, and I have made a number of the recipes I’ve seen on TV.  Heck, The Bug’s name was inspired by one of my favorite chefs.  So naturally I was very excited about this week’s #SundaySupper theme – Your Favorite Chef-Inspired Dishes.  This week’s event is hosted by Tammi from Momma’s Meals, and is certain to be a ton of fun.

Giada is definitely one of my favorite TV chefs.  Yes, she was born in Italy into a famous family, went to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, lives in California, is gorgeous, has an adorable daughter, and a stylish husband, but I still think she and I could just chit-chat in the backyard with a few glasses of Pinot Grigio.  Plus, many of her recipes strike that balance that I love to achieve – gourmet taste, but totally approachable and doable for the home cook.  I regularly make a few of her dishes, including her Butternut Squash Gratin and Stracoto with Porcini Mushrooms.  This dish is inspired by the Stracoto, but I wanted to make it even more accessible to the home cook – fresh mushrooms versus dried, slow cooker instead of a slow braise in the oven, no need to strain it all out and puree to make a gravy, and all the veggies cooked right with the meat, for simplicity and flavor.  Come home at the end of a long day, and all you need is some polenta, potatoes, pasta, or even just bread to soak up all the flavorful juices.

I actually made and posted about this recipe once before.  But I really wanted to give it a revamp – better photos, my better recipe plug-in to make it easier for you to save and print if you like, a more Giada-inspired side dish (polenta instead of mashed potatoes), a better cut of meat, and a little more color in the form of more veggies!  I was quite happy with the outcome, as were The Hubby and The Bug.  It was a flavorful, comforting dinner on a cold Friday night that made the house smell incredible all day.

Check out the other Chef-inspired dishes at the bottom of the page, and please join on us via Twitter for #SundaySupper on December 2, 2012, throughout the day. In the evening, we will meet at 7 PM EST for our weekly #SundaySupper live chat. All you have to do is follow the #SundaySupper hashtag or you can follow us through TweetChat.

Who is your favorite chef?

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Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast with Mushrooms

 

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Inspired by Giada, your slow cooker makes it easy to make a moist, flavorful, comforting pot roast with mushrooms, carrots, and peas.

Author: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Recipe type: Slow Cooker, Main, Beef

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 (2 to 3-pound or bigger) beef eye round or top round roast (or another type of beef roast, such as chuck)
• 2 T olive oil
• ¼ c cornstarch
• 1 t kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 c beef broth/stock
• ¼ c balsamic vinegar
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 medium or ½ of a large onion, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1 c dry red wine (I’ve used Merlot and Zinfandel)
• 10 oz. cremini, baby bella, or white button mushrooms, halved or quartered
• 1 c baby carrots, or whole carrots, peeled and cut into “fingers”
• 1 large sprig of fresh rosemary
• ½ c frozen peas (no need to thaw)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Combine the corn starch, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.
3. Roll the meat around in the cornstarch mixture until it is coated on all sides. Set aside the remaining cornstarch mixture.
4. Sear the meat in the pan for 2-3 minutes on each side, until it is nice and browned.
5. While the meat is searing, add the reserved cornstarch mixture, broth, balsamic vinegar, and tomato paste to the slow cooker, and stir to dissolve.
6. Remove the meat from the pan, and put it in the slow cooker.
7. Reduce the heat to low and pour the wine into the pan. Scrape up any of the brown bits with a wooden spoon, and pour everything into the crockpot.
8. Arrange the onion, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, and rosemary around the roast.
9. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat is cooked through. Add the peas during the last few minutes of cooking.
10. Remove the meat, carrots, and mushrooms from the slow cooker. Ladle out or strain the liquid from the crockpot, and serve on the side as a gravy.

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Enjoy!

Check out these amazing recipes:

Starters or Snacks :

Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog - Oyster and Brie Soup and Wine Pairings for Celebrity Chef #SundaySupper

Linda at The Urban Mrs. - Inspired by Bobby Flay, Lobster Chowder with Roasted Corn Salsa

Erin from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts - Rachael Ray’s Cinnamon Popcorn

Cindy over at Cindy’s Recipes and Writings - Jamie Oliver’s Bread and Tomato Soup

Jeff at The Catholic Foodie - Drop Biscuits – Breakfast with Chef John Besh

Renee over at Kudos Kitchen By Renee - Giada De Laurentiis’ Garlic Toasts With Red Pepper Aioli

The Main Dish:

Sheila at Cooking Underwriter – Paula Deen’s  Chicken in a Crock Pot w/ Sauerkraut and Apples

Laura over at Small Wallet Big Appetite – Martin Yan’s Beef Chow Fun

Sarah over at Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends - Michael Symon’s Lola burger with crab tater tots

Susan at The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen - Ina Garten’s Baked Shrimp Scampi

Tammi at Momma’s Meals – Lee Drummond’s Sloppy Joe’s

Lane over at Supper for a Steal - Bobby Flay’s Rosemary Bricked Chicken

Tara from Noshing with the Nolands - Michael Symon’s Pork and Apple Scallopini

Shannon at Country Girl in the Village – Simple Red Sauce over Rigatoni. Inspired by,  Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos

Kris over at In the Kitchen with Audrey and Maurene - Rachael Ray’s Muffin Tin Meatloaf

Nicole from The Daily Dish Recipes - Paula Deen’s Slow Cooker Pulled Pickled Pork Sandwiches

Becca from It’s Yummilicious - Ina Garten’s Grown Up Bacon Mac & Cheese

Alice at  Hip Foodie Mom - Sunday Pot Roast with Risotto Cakes from Kelsey Nixon

Jen over at  Juanita’s Cocina - The Neely’s White Turkey Chili

Brianne from Cupcakes & Kale Chips - Crockpot Beef Pot Roast with Mushrooms inspired by Giada DeLaurentiis

Isabel at Family Foodie - Polenta with Garlicky Shrimp inspired by Chef Todd English

Wendy from The Weekend Gourmet - Shrimp Penne in Pesto Cream Sauce, From Emeril Lagasse

Bobbi over at Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen - Cheesy Poblano Chicken

Patti at Comfy Cuisine - Tyler Florence’s Chicken Francese

Roxanne over at The Roxx Box - Jambalaya Pasta with Penne, Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille

Sue from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz – Rachael Ray’s Spicy Corn Chowdah Mac ‘n’ Cheese

Jamie at Mama Mommy Mom - Penne with Asparagus, Smoked Gouda and Prosciutto. Adapted from, Giada De Laurentiis’

Tora over at Tora’s Real Food – Pork and beans with Alton Brown’s pickled pork

Elisabeth over at The Hand That Rocks The Ladle - Emeril’s New Orleans Style Red Beans & Rice

Amazing Sides:

Megan from I Run For Wine - Curtis Stone’s Acorn Squash Roasted with Thyme

Sandi over at Midlife Road Trip -  Gabriele Corcos’s Gnocchi di Patate

Shelby at  Diabetic Foodie - Orange Pecan Black Rice, adapted from Ina Garten

Katie from She likes Ruffles, He likes Truffles - Chef Fabio Viviani’s Spinach and Artichoke Risotto

Sweet Endings:

Renee over at Magnolia Days – Brownie Tart

Conni at The Foodie Army Wife - Inspired by Ree Drummond – Scrumptious Apple Coffee Cake

Paula over at Vintage Kitchen Notes - Bill Granger´s Cherry Tart

Pam from The Meltaways – Savannah Sheet Cake

Katy over at Happy Baking Days - Mary Berry’s Treacle Tart

Jaime over at Mom’s Test Kitchen - Southern Tea Cakes

Amy over at Kimchi MOM - Crack Pie, I Can’t Quit You

Wine Pairings: 

Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

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Tagged as: #SundaySupper, Balsamic Vinegar, Beef, Crock Pot, Dinner, Gluten-free, recipe, Slow Cooker