It’s the week after Labor Day, and remarkably the weather here in North Texas has cooled down to almost autumn-like temperatures. We’ve even had a little rain as well. But rest assured it’s only for a short time; our weather here is very sneaky, and just when you think you’re finished with a hot or cold season you suddenly have a “last gasp” or two. With that in mind, I decided to keep to my plan of avoiding heating up the kitchen when cooking dinner, which means using either a slow cooker, an Instant Pot, an air fryer, or cooking outside. This time up is the slow cooker.
This recipe is a bit of a twist on the traditional pot roast, substituting frozen meatballs for the beef roast but keeping everything else pretty much the same. The sauce is a bit different as well, starting with basic beef broth and ramping up the flavor with additional beef bouillon. The result is a very easy to make dish with an extremely rich flavor… but it ends up looking more like beef stew in a way. But hey, it follows the basic pot roast process, so I’ll give its creator her due and we’ll call it pot roast. Regardless of what it’s called, it’s definitely worth a try regardless of the season.
Adapted from Modern Meal Makeover
Slow Cooker Meatball Pot Roast
Description
A neat twist on the traditional pot roast, substituting frozen meatballs for the beef roast. The sauce is very rich and flavorful from additional beef bouillon in the mix.
Adapted from Modern Meal Makeover
Ingredients
Instructions
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Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery in the bottom of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Evenly layer the meatballs on top of the vegetables.
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In a medium bowl whisk together the beef broth, Better than Bouillon or crushed bouillon cubes, tomato paste, onion soup mix, pepper, and garlic powder until well blended. Pour the mixture over the meatballs.
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Cover and cook on High for 3-4 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
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Remove the meatballs from the slow cooker and set aside. Mix the cornstarch and water to make a slurry, then add to the slow cooker and stir until well blended. Allow the sauce to thicken for about 5 minutes, then add the meatballs back to the slow cooker and stir to coat.
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Serve immediately, garnishing with chopped parsley if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
Serving Size approx 2 cups (16 oz)
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 498kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 28.9g45%
- Saturated Fat 11g56%
- Cholesterol 61mg21%
- Sodium 1888mg79%
- Potassium 762mg22%
- Total Carbohydrate 38g13%
- Dietary Fiber 7.8g32%
- Sugars 8.8g
- Protein 22.4g45%
- Calcium 121 mg
- Iron 6 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Notes
- The original version of this recipe did not include celery.
- Any waxy yellow or red potato can be used as they will retain their shape over the long cooking times.
- Other vegetables could be used if desired. Be mindful to add quickly-softening vegetables toward the end of the cooking time so they do not become mushy.
- Better than Bouillon is a bouillon paste I use to make broth for my recipes as it's much more convenient for me than to keep broth on hand. If it's not available, bouillon cubes can be substituted at the rate of 1 tsp of bouillon paste = 1 bouillon cube.
