Here’s how to plan ahead pot roast so you can get 4 dinners from 1 pot roast for just $15! You’ll also find our easy and delicious slow cooked roast recipe!
4 Dinners, 1 Roast, $15! How To Plan Ahead Pot Roast
One important key to saving money on groceries while feeding your family tasty meals is to plan ahead! One of my favorite ways to plan ahead is to prepare one meal, keeping in mind how I will use what would have been the leftovers to craft entirely new meals!
Here is what I will serve to spend just $15 feeding my family meals they will love! Not only are these pot roast recipes easy and delicious, but they are also significantly faster and cheaper than wasting your time in a drive-thru line and without all the frustration!
Here’s our easy and super delicious slow cooked pot roast recipe in the oven you can use to make the tastiest roast you will ever eat! We also share how to plan ahead pot roast so you can get 4 meals to feed your family out of this roast!
Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
This delicious slow cooker pot roast recipe is easy to make with 5 minutes preparation time in an oven or a crockpot. I include the oven instructions first because I prefer to make it in the oven and crockpot instructions below!
Ingredients
1 beef roast, 3-5 lbs.
1 onion, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup (omit for GF and sprinkle with seasoned salt)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°.
- Place roast in pan.
- Pour cream of mushroom soup and onion on top.
- Cover tightly. Bake at 250° for 1 hour.
- Then turn it down to 225° and cook for 6-8 hours (about 6 hours for a smaller roast and 8 hours for a larger roast). When done, it should be so tender that the meat easily pulls off the roast with a fork. Serves 4 when you use a 3-5 lb. roast.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
If you prefer to cook this slow cooked roast in a crockpot or slow cooker, place the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours. For the most tender roast, it is best to cook longer on a lower temperature.
Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 145°.
Notes
- This slow cooked roast recipe can be cooked in the oven or a slow cooker. The secret is in the slow cooking. I prefer to cook it in the oven because I think it gives the roast a little bit better taste than the crockpot, but if you prefer a slow cooker, you will still end up with a tender and tasty roast.
- This slow cooker pot roast recipe is an excellent way to prepare inexpensive roasts. This slow cooked roast recipe makes them so tender they fall off the bone and are almost impossible to lift out of the pan.
- This recipe is an excellent way to make a delicious meal for Sunday after church or for guests, because it can cook for 2 or 3 hours longer than required without overcooking.
- Since it is so tender that no meat is left on the bone, you get more pot roast for your money.
These easy slow cooked pot roast recipes are from our Dining On A Dime Cookbook, Volume 1:
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Easy Homemade Brown Gravy Recipe
Homemade brown gravy is a delicious and versatile sauce that can be used to enhance the flavor of a variety of dishes. Made with a few simple ingredients you already have at home, this classic gravy is easy to prepare and perfect for everything from mashed potatoes to roasted meats. With its rich, savory flavor and smooth texture, homemade brown gravy is a must-have in any home cook’s recipe collection.
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
Meat Broth
1 cup cold water
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour or 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add at least one cup of water to the roasting pan of your roast while the meat is cooking.
- Remove the meat when done and skim off the fat.
- Put the pan on a stove top burner on medium heat.
- Put flour or cornstarch in a jar.
- Add cold water (You could also add 1/4 cup dry milk.)
- Cap the jar and shake until all the lumps are gone.
- Pour the flour mixture slowly into the simmering broth and stir constantly until thickened. If there is a lot of liquid you may need to use more flour.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Cheesy French Dip Sandwiches Recipe
These cheesy French dip sandwiches are a cheap, easy and tasty plan ahead pot roast recipe! You can easily use leftover pot roast or roast beef to make these sandwiches in just a few minutes! They’re sure to please your family, save you money and get you out of the kitchen fast!
Ingredients
Pot Roast, slow cooked
Garlic butter
Grated cheddar cheese
Sandwich buns
Instructions
- Make some garlic butter either by sautéing a little garlic in some butter or sprinkling some garlic powder (to taste) into some soft butter.
- Spread each side of the bun with the butter.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Broil until the cheese is melted.
- Lay thin slices of roast on one side of the bun and top with the other.
- Serve some of the roast broth on the side to dip the sandwiches in.
Easy Beef Fajitas Recipe
This easy homemade beef fajitas recipe makes a quick, cheap and easy dinner recipe! It makes a tasty meal your family will love and is a great way to use leftover pot roast.
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
Salt and pepper, to taste
Shredded Cheddar or Mexican cheese, optional
Salsa Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine the tomato, onion and cilantro for the salsa. Cover tightly and refrigerate.
- If using bell pepper and onion, slice into strips.
- Heat oil in a large skillet on high. Sauté garlic, jalapeños, bell pepper and onion for 1 minute.
- Add meat and lime juice.
- Cook in hot oil for 2-3 minutes, until heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve in warm tortillas with salsa.
- Top with Cheddar or Mexican cheese, if desired.
Easy Spanish Rice Recipe
This Easy Spanish Rice Recipe makes a nice side dish to go with enchiladas and other Mexican food favorites. Serve with Refried Beans for a complete meal!
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 cup water
1 cup rice, cooked
1 Tbsp. (or less) taco seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Dissolve bouillon in water.
- Mix all the ingredients.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
This easy beef and noodles recipe makes a tasty main dish that makes an easy 5 dollar meal and that your family will love!
Easy Beef And Noodles Recipe
This easy beef and noodles recipe is a tasty quick and easy family dinner recipe you can make in just a few minutes with leftover pot roast or other cooked beef. Families and kids love this recipe and it’s so super simple to make!
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 lb. leftover roast or other cooked beef
1 can or 1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 lb. egg noodles, cooked
Instructions
- Mix water and flour in a jar and shake well.
- Pour into a saucepan.
- Boil until it starts to thicken.
- Add roast and mushrooms, if desired. Cook until roast is heated through.
- Add garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Serve over cooked egg noodles or on toast. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Notes
If you don’t have any leftover pot roast, you can use any leftover cooked beef, like brisket, steak or ground beef.
If you want to make this recipe starting without leftovers, you can simply prepare a slow cooked pot roast, brisket or any type of beef you prefer and then use it to make this recipe.
This recipe is so easy & always turns out perfect. I do not always have an onion, so I add a few more seasonings like onion & garlic powder. Then about 4 hours before it’s ready, I remove the foil & add some potatoes that I’ve chopped up & lightly seasoned. I add a little extra water if it’s needed to cover the potatoes. (I make sure I crimp the foil back down tightly before I return the roast & potatoes to the oven.) When I cook a roast this way, I honestly feel like I have taken off a day from cooking. An added bonus is that the cleanup is easy. I’ll have to try your gravy recipe the next time I cook a roast this way. It looks delicious, and easy. I was glad to see this recipe in your Dining on a Dime Gluten Free Cookbook.
Everything looks Delicious and easy to make
This is good but try it using Campbell’s beefy mushroom makes it out of this world!!
Thank you so much for the great recipes and information! They all sound so good!! I wish I could use all of your leftover recipes as you’ve described/directed. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with the ingredient, “leftover roast” that you’re describing, that’s not something that I’ve experienced personally. I think one time we may have had 4 bites of meat left in the pan after we finished dinner, I’m pretty sure that’s not specifically what you’re referring to though… 🥲
However, YES!!! I agree, this is absolutely the way to go, it makes the most incredible Gravy & it’s sooo, sooo easy!! Even a newbie “cooker” 😆 can make gravy with a little Wondra and the juice, drippings, whatever you want to call it, when using this Soup Mix! If you haven’t ever tried Wondra it’s so far superior to flour, it’s a lifesaver to those who struggle with making gravy, or ANYONE who just wants to make life a little easier and guarantee they won’t have lumps, it’s truly AMAZING!!
I didn’t know about it until I met my hubby (his Mom has always used it), now I can’t live without it! Lol It’s basically the perfect combination between flour and corn starch, you’re “almost” guaranteed NO LUMPS when using Wondra. It can taste somewhat pasty if you use too much or don’t cook it long enough with “your fat”, butter, oil, fat skimmed from the roast juices, etc., exactly like what happens when using flour, I find that it happens less with Wondra though.
Anyway, Di and I may not be talking about exactly the same thing, I’m referring to the Lipton dry packets, the ones I use most are “Beefy Onion”, although there are others that are great as well, so I think we’re on the same wavelength…
If not, I’m referring to the dry soup packets, like the Onion Soup mix that’s used in dips, etc.
Anyway, I’m sure I have far overstayed my welcome so I will close for now and wish everyone the best, HAPPY COOKING!! 🍽
Progresso makes a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup. The can is larger than the standard soup can, so I measure out 10.5 ounces to substitute in recipes that call for a can of cream of mushroom soup. It’s delicious and works great!