Crockpot French Onion Pot Roast Pasta (Printable Version)

Slow-cooked beef with caramelized onions in rich gravy over buttery noodles

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef & Aromatics

01 - 3 lbs beef chuck roast
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
04 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
06 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste

→ Liquids & Seasonings

07 - 1 cup beef broth
08 - 1 cup dry white wine or additional beef broth
09 - 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
10 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

→ Pasta & Finishing

12 - 12 oz wide egg noodles
13 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
14 - 1 cup shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese, optional
15 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish

# Cooking Steps:

01 - Season the beef chuck roast generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the seasoned roast on all sides until browned, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to the crockpot.
03 - In the same skillet, add sliced onions and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized. Add minced garlic, thyme, and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Deglaze the skillet with white wine, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Simmer for 2 minutes, then pour the mixture over the beef in the crockpot.
05 - Add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce to the crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until the beef is very tender and easily shreds with a fork.
06 - Remove the beef from the crockpot and shred using two forks. Return the shredded beef to the crockpot and stir to combine with the onion gravy.
07 - Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with butter until well coated.
08 - Spoon buttered noodles onto serving plates and top generously with shredded beef and onion gravy. Garnish with Gruyère cheese and fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The beef becomes so tender it practically dissolves: eight hours in the crockpot transforms even budget-friendly chuck into something that shreds with barely any effort.
  • Caramelized onions do the heavy lifting: they create this rich, savory gravy without needing cream or complicated techniques.
  • It tastes like you've been cooking all day: but you spent maybe twenty minutes prepping and then just walked away.
02 -
  • Don't skip the searing step: those browned bits on the beef are flavor compounds that make the entire dish sing, and they happen nowhere else.
  • The onions need real time to caramelize: eight to ten minutes feels long, but that's when they stop being raw and become this sweet, jammy foundation for your gravy.
  • Resist lifting the crockpot lid: every time you peek, you add fifteen minutes to the cooking time and dry out the meat slightly.
03 -
  • Let the roast rest slightly after searing: this helps the meat cook more evenly in the crockpot and keeps it from drying at the edges.
  • Use white wine you'd actually drink: if you dump in something you wouldn't put in a glass, the taste suffers in a dish where wine is supposed to matter.
  • Cook the noodles fresh right before serving: they absorb less gravy if they're warm and freshly cooked rather than sitting in a pot getting soggy.
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