Pot Roast & Spaghetti
You can use any roast in this recipe, not just pot roast. I like the taste of Ragu pasta sauce best with this recipe.
You can use any roast in this recipe, not just pot roast. I like the taste of Ragu pasta sauce best with this recipe.
- Carbohydrate 0.06481 g
- Cholesterol 489.8797596 mg
- Fat 45.81608937 g
- Fiber 0.0265 g
- Protein 199.228718904 g
- Saturated Fat 17.010693875 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (908g)
- Sodium 816.7032076 mg
- Sugar 0.03831 g
- Trans Fat 7.6023481212 g
- Calories 1261 calories
Step-by-step
- Empty spaghetti sauce and mix into slow cooker and mix thoroughly.
- Put roast into sauce.
- Season with garlic salt and black pepper.
- Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
- Serve over your favorite pasta.
Packaged spaghetti sauce mix contributes dehydrated aromatics and starches that thicken the braising liquid as the meat breaks down. Commercial seasoning packets contain precisely measured thickeners and salt designed for specific batch sizes, meaning simple multiplication breaks the sauce ratio. Doubling the beef roast without doubling the liquid and seasoning mix will leave the meat under-seasoned and produce a watery braise. Adjusting quantities requires maintaining the proper ratio of jarred sauce to dry mix to prevent the final product from becoming either overly salty or completely diluted.
Scaling down this recipe presents a different set of problems when using smaller cuts of beef. Halving a two-pound roast down to one pound reduces the cooking time significantly because smaller muscles reach tenderness faster. Checking texture replaces temperature for determining doneness in braised beef since connective tissue breaks down gradually. Pushing a fork into the center of the meat provides the definitive test; if the tines meet resistance, the collagen has not yet converted to gelatin, regardless of the hours elapsed.
Slow cookers operate at lower temperatures than standard ovens, typically simmering between 185 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit on the low setting. Maintaining this steady heat over seven to eight hours transforms tough shoulder cuts into tender strands. Opening the lid during this prolonged cooking cycle releases accumulated steam and drops the internal temperature by ten to fifteen degrees, extending the total cooking time by twenty minutes for each peek.
Leftover shredded beef keeps safely in the refrigerator for three to four days when stored in an airtight container with its juices. Separating the pasta from the meat storage prevents the noodles from absorbing excess moisture and turning unpalatably mushy before reheating. Reheating portions gently on the stovetop with a splash of water restores the sauce consistency without overcooking the protein.
