Olive and onion pot roast

A very good reason to break out the slow cooker

Scroll to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.

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My crock pot doesn’t get much prime counter time. Relegated to an overcrowded shelf in my daughter’s closet (#smallapartmentlife), it rarely makes its way into the kitchen. But when it does, it’s almost always for one very good reason reason: pot roast.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that pot roast can be… unexciting. I mean, it’s just slow-cooked beef? But what it lacks in razzle-dazzle it more than makes up for in taste, comfort, and ease. My go-to recipe for years has been the viral Mississippi Pot Roast, a recipe that became internet famous somewhere around a decade ago (see this New York Times article if you’ve never heard of it) and was invented, apparently, in the ‘90s in – you guessed it – Mississippi. If you haven’t had the pleasure, it’s made in the slow cooker with a stick of butter, a packet of ranch dressing mix, and a few pepperoncini. Weird, ok, but trust me – delish.

Tell me more

Although Mississippi pot roast is a tried-and-true recipe, I can’t help but put my own spin on things!! I am who I am, and I had been wanting to play around with some type of slow-cooked meat dish that incorporates olives – oh how I love olives – last year when the idea struck me to replace the pepperoncini in my beloved Mississippi pot roast with olives.

After testing and tweaking a few times, I landed on the deliciousness that I’m sharing with you today. It’s got the same idea — a few ingredients, including a premade dip mix and a jar of something brine-y — but it’s different. It has onions (hello, nature’s meat tenderizers), French onion dip/soup mix, tomato paste, a stick of butter (never said it was healthy), and a whole jar of my beloved castelvetrano olives.

It’s similar in style and ease to its southern predecessor, but also entirely its own. Will I call it California Pot Roast? I will not. Kitschy names are not my thing, and there’s nothing inherently Californian about it. But I will tell you this – it’s damn delicious, beyond easy, and will make your home smell like heaven.

Notes before you start!

• This recipe is short on ingredients and prep. Most of the salt and seasoning comes from a packet of French onion soup/dip mix, which is readily available in most American grocery stores. If it’s not available near you or prefer not to use it for whatever reason, you can make your own instead – here’s a recipe. I promise it’ll still be easy-peasy. (And if you’re reading this from another country, hi!! That’s so cool that you found my little corner of the internet. Please stay a while.)

• Between the French onion mix and the jar of olives (brine and all), I find I don’t need extra salt for this recipe.

• On the topic of olives: I used my beloved castelvetranos, which are my go-to for just about everything. They have a milder, almost buttery taste which plays so well with the flavors in this recipe. I haven’t tested this recipe with another type of olive, though if you can’t get your hands on castelvetranos, I encourage you to try the recipe with another variety. Experimenting is half the fun of cooking. Also, make sure they’re pitted.

• I do not include a step for searing the meat before putting it in the slow cooker because that would entail searing said meat first thing in the morning, and that is not my journey. If it’s yours, go right ahead. I tested this recipe with that extra step and didn’t notice a big difference in flavor.

• Slow cooker times can vary quite a bit. Mine is a bit old and always takes longer than a recipe says it will, so I let this cook for 9 hours until the meat was falling apart and could be cut with a fork. In general, 6-8 hours on high should be fine.

• I serve this with mashed potatoes (recipe below!) but you could also do pasta, rice, gratin potatoes, or even just bread and butter. When I first posted this on my Instagram back in November and got sooo many requests for the recipe, I had served it with my Boursin gratin potatoes and roasted carrots with olive and walnut salsa verde (both recipes here).

• This makes a hefty amount of food, which I think is part of its greatness. Leftovers for *days.*

Speaking of Leftovers

You’ll probably have some, if not a lot of, leftovers. Do yourself a favor and make pasta. Heat up the meat, olives, onions, and juices in a pan, add a generous amount of pasta water to create a glossy sauce, then toss in your noodles. Whatever noodles you like! If you’re feeling more adventurous, chop up your meat and use it as ravioli filling. Or make sandwiches. Or quesadillas. Or tacos. So. Many. Options.

Let’s get to the meat

Olive and Onion Pot Roast

Serves: 6-8

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 6-8 hours (or more, depending on your slow cooker)