Beef Pot Pie

Whenever I make pot roast, I always have too much leftovers. Dylan isn't a huge fan, and there's only so many days in a row in which I can eat pot roast. That's when I decided that I needed to figure out how to use up these leftovers so I wasn't throwing away food. My first idea was a recipe I remember eating as a kid, Beef and Noodles.

Then, one day, I got a brilliant idea. I love those cheap little beef pot pies that you buy in the frozen section, and I was craving one. Sadly, they aren't the greatest thing in the world for you. So I decided I was going to make my own. My first attempt was OK, though it was pretty bland as I didn't add any salt or other seasonings, assuming the gravy packets and the seasoning from the meat would take care of it. (Spoiler: They didn't.) So here is my improved recipe.

Beef Pot Pie
(Printable Version)

Ingredients

• 2 packages brown gravy mix
• 2 pre-made pie crusts
• 2 organic russet potatoes, skinned and diced
• 2-3 carrots, diced
• 1 cup leftover pot roast, diced
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 1/2 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion powder

Directions

• Put bottom crust in a 9 inch pie pan. Either poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork, or use dried beans or pie weights to keep it from bubbling up. Bake in a preheated 450 F oven for 7-9 minutes or until slightly browned.
• Meanwhile, cook gravy according to packages. Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer for about 15 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add the roast, mushrooms, and sweet peas and mix well.
• Taste gravy and add salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste.

• Pour the gravy mixture into the baked pie crust. Cover with the second pie crust. Put a couple of vent slits on the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 9 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. 

My Take 

I didn't measure how much salt, pepper, or onion powder I put in. For salt it was probably close to 1/4 teaspoon or more. The pepper and onion powder was only a dash. But take my advice, taste the gravy! Once you put it in the pie crust, you won't have a chance to season it, so make sure you get it right the first time, otherwise you're going to have a bland pot pie.

You also want to cut up your potatoes pretty small. The first time I made it, the potatoes were too big and took over the whole thing.

Because this is a leftover dish, you can use whatever veggies you want. For instance, even though the recipe calls for carrots, I usually use the cooked carrots leftover from my pot roast and add them in when I add in the peas. This time, though, I didn't have any, as my baby carrots went bad. So, I used the frozen pea and carrot combo, and it worked out great. I also didn't have any mushrooms on hand, so I just omitted them. Yet, it still tasted great.

And remember, you can always sub your own homemade crust for the pre-fab ones. I'm not very good at making crusts (a future project of mine) so I just always buy the pre-made ones for now. I'm sure this would taste even better with a homemade crust. :)

Simple Pot Roast with Vegetables

When I think of pot roast, I think of family dinner after church on Sundays. It was a special meal with mashed potatoes and gravy, delicious cooked carrots, and ketchup. (My brother and I apparently didn't have very good taste buds when we were kids). Sadly, my husband isn't a huge roast fan, but I love it, so I've been on the hunt for a good roast recipe. I found several while searching the internet, but all of them used packets of gravy or dressings and it just sounded too salty for me. I also didn't want that much salt, because I was planning on feeding Lucy some.

So I do what I've done recently when I haven't found exactly what I'm looking for: I made something up. And this turned out great. More to follow after the recipe.

Ingredients

• 3-5 pound bottom round roast
• 1 (14.5 oz) can low sodium beef broth
• 5-6 organic russet potatoes, skinned and quartered
• 10-15 baby carrots or 3-4 large carrots cut into bite-sized pieces
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder

Directions

You have to get inventive sometimes to get all the sides brown

• Season the roast with a pinch of salt and pepper. In a large non-stick skillet, brown all sides of the roast. 

• Place the potatoes and carrots in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the roast on top. Pour the beef broth over the roast and vegetables. Season the roast with a sprinkling of the garlic and onion powders.
• Cook on Low for 8 hours, turning the roast over about halfway through. Roast is done when meat thermometer reads 160°F. Allow the roast to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving, allowing the juices to set.

My Take

I love how this yummy roast can be achieved by just a few simple ingredients. They aren't overpowering and really allows the meat to take center stage.

What I like to do is to take the potatoes out about 30 minutes before the slow cooker is done and use them to make mashed potatoes. I find that when I cook them with the meat, they get a wonderful flavor. And as an added bonus, pot roast makes wonderful leftovers! I also strain the liquid leftover, heat it up in a saucepan with some flour, and make a gravy which I use on the whole meal. Sometimes I do have to add some salt since there isn't a lot added in the cooking of the meat.

Beef and Noodles

Pot roast is a wonderful meal for a nice quiet family dinner, but what do you do with the leftovers? My mom use to make this wonderful recipe of beef and noodles using the leftovers from our pot roast dinner. I loved it so much, that I have taken the liberty of making it and writing up a recipe for it.

Beef and Noodles
(Printable Version)

Ingredients

• 1 cup leftover pot roast, diced or shredded
• 1/2 package extra wide egg noodles
• 1 cup gravy
• 1/2 cup cooked carrots, sliced (optional)

Directions

• Cook egg noodles according to package. Drain.
• Add roast, carrots, and gravy. Mix well. Cook on low in a sauce pan until heated through.

My Take

And that's it. Pretty easy to throw together and have on a weeknight with a leftover Sunday pot roast. I didn't have to add any extra seasoning since I used everything that was already seasoned, but if you feel it is a bit bland, feel free to add a pinch of salt and some other seasonings. I think I may have added a touch of salt and pepper. You can also add some more veggies to it. I typically just stick with the carrots, as that's what's leftover when I cook a roast, but I think peas would be great as well.

This is a great base which you can personalize and really run with. Have you made this and made  it your own? How did you personalize it?

Garlic-Herb Pot Roast

Alright, I've been meaning to post about this ever since I made it, and I've finally got some down-time where I can put my thoughts about it. First, I'll give the recipe, and then I'll give you my input. Ok? Okay!

Ingredients

• 4-lb beef chuck boneless arm, shoulder, or blade pot roast (Can't remember what I used. It said "Roast" on it, though)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed beef broth
• 8 small potatoes, cut in half
• 8 medium peeled carrots, cut into fourths
• 8 small onions, skins removed
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

In a 12-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat until brown on all sides. Sprinkle with marjoram, thyme leaves, oregano, and garlic. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, place potatoes, carrots and onions. Place beef on vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour beef broth into slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low setting 8 to 10 hours. Remove beef and vegetables to warm platter; keep warm.

Skim excess fat from broth. Add enough water to broth to measure 2 cups. In a tightly covered container, shake 1/2 cup cold water and \the flour; gradually stir into broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve gravy with beef and vegetables. 

My Take

This was my first time using a slow cooker, so I was excited as well as nervous. I mean, let the meal cook while I'm away at work? Yes please!

Alright, so I tweaked the recipe just a bit for my tastes. First, I didn't add the onions, I just used onion powder. Neither I or my husband, Dylan, like onions, so it seemed like a waste to cook the onions and throw them away. Now, I do like the flavor that onions add to a dish, so I used the onion powder. Genius, right? I concur. 

I did the browning of the meat the night before as I didn't feel like getting up at the crack of dawn to start this meal. I also peeled and cut the veggies that night as well. I put the potatoes in a bowl of cold water to keep them from browning over night. It worked!

After the pot roast was done cooking, I took the meat and veggies out. I made mashed potatoes with the potatoes (which gives the mashed potatoes a great taste after being cooked with the meat and carrots!). I didn't get them exactly right as they were a bit chunky for my tastes. Again, it was my first time making mashed potatoes, so I thought I did a pretty good job.

The gravy was kinda off as well. I don't think I mixed the water and flour good enough as there were chunks of flour in there. I was going to use this cool Tupperware thingy that I got as a wedding present, but I think Dylan put it in our basement storage and since he was at work, I had no idea where to look.

Overall, the meal was great. The meat was nice and tender and the veggies were amazing. Reminded me of a Sunday afternoon where my mom made pot roast. I'm planning on using the left overs in beef and noodles. I'll give you an update on that as well. 

Well, that does it for now! Comment to lemme know what you think. Lemme know if you plan on making it or whatever. Ta-ta!