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This 3 packet roast is my go-to for an easy but delicious Sunday dinner. Add brown gravy, Italian dressing, and ranch dressing powders to a slow cooker with your beef and then let it work its magic! It creates an ultra-tender, flavorful roast you’ll love coming home to at the end of the day.
Need some quick and easy sides to go with your 3 packet roast? Try these Instant Pot mashed potatoes or parmesan garlic air fryer carrots! Both are ready in just 15 minutes.
3 Packet Pot Roast
You all know I LOVE me a simple, hearty dinner. Especially recipes that you can make from basic pantry ingredients! (Enter 8 can chicken taco soup.) Now, pot roasts are a pretty common Sunday dinner at my house. I have a great pot roast recipe on the blog if you’re wanting to tweak the flavor just to your liking, but for those times when you just want to set it and forget it? This 3 packet roast is the way to go.
All you need is ranch seasoning powder, Italian dressing powder, and brown gravy mix. I usually have a few of these floating around my pantry so it makes prep a breeze! Trust me, this trio gives the roast the best flavor ever. It’s rich, savory, and loaded with all the tasty herbs! Add everything to your slow cooker along with some beef broth and then let it do its thing while you go about your day. You’ll come home to the most fork-tender, juicy pot roast.
Ingredients Needed
We know that these ingredients are super simple, but here’s what each does to make the roast extra flavorful. Throw them all together and you’ll have a dinner the whole family will go crazy over!
- Boneless Rump Roast: This is your big piece of beef that will get all tender and tasty as it cooks slowly. You can also use chuck roast if you prefer.
- Ranch Seasoning Powder: A powdery mix of herbs and spices that gives your roast a zesty, tangy flavor with a bit of kick.
- Italian Dressing Powder: This one adds a bunch of nice Italian spices to the mix. You can never go wrong with things like oregano and basil!
- Brown Gravy Powder: This helps make a rich and savory sauce for your roast, giving it a deep, meaty flavor.
- Low-Sodium Beef Broth: This is what keeps everything juicy and flavorful in the slow cooker. It helps dissolve the powders and makes sure your roast stays nice and moist. If you don’t have any beef broth on hand, you can also swap it out for chicken broth or even use water as a substitute. Just keep it mind that it may change the flavor slightly.
How to Make 3 Packet Roast in the Slow Cooker
This pot roast is extremely simple to prepare. I throw everything in the Crock Pot in the morning, and then run errands as it cooks! Another perk of making this 3 packet pot roast recipe? The AMAZING smell it gives your kitchen. It will definitely get everyone excited for dinner!
- Add Roast to Slow Cooker: Place the beef roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Combine Seasonings: Add the beef broth or water to a small bowl. Then pour in the ranch dressing mix, Italian dressing mix, and brown gravy. Whisk together until the powders are dissolved.
- Pour Over the Roast: Pour the mixture over the roast into the slow cooker.
- Cook: Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or 4-5 hours on high.
- Serve: Shred and serve with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables!
Can I Make 3 Packet Roast in the Instant Pot?
Yes you can! It’s another great option if you’re short on time. Follow the recipe instructions through step 3, adding your ingredients to the Instant Pot. Secure your lid and seal the valve. Cook on high pressure for an hour per pound of meat you use. Once your roast is done cooking, allow the Instant Pot to have a natural release of pressure for about 15 minutes, then shred and enjoy!
Thicken the Broth
Make a slurry by combining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and stir into the sauce to thicken.
Tips and Tricks
As easy as this 3 packet roast is to make, here are a few simple tips to keep in mind so you end up with the most delicious, hearty dinner! I’ve also included a tip on making cleanup easier because that’s important, too!
- Low and Slow: If you want the most soft, tender, and juicy roast, cook it on low for 8 hours!
- Why Rump Roast? Not only is boneless rump roast delicious, but it’s also relatively lean, which means it becomes tender and juicy as it slow-cooks, without excessive fat to trim. If you’re having trouble finding it, chuck roast and sirloin tip roast will work as well.
- Time Crunch? Cook on High: If time’s not your friend, crank up the heat. Cook your roast on high for 4-5 hours instead of waiting around for 8 hours on low. You may lose a little moisture but it will still be delicious!
- Use a Liner: Add a slow cooker liner to your crockpot for easy cleanup later. No fuss, no scrubbing. It also keeps the roast from sticking to the bottom.
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftovers of your 3 packet roast, transfer them to an airtight container and save them for later!
- In the Refrigerator: Store pot roast leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat: Pop it in the microwave for a minute or two, or warm over the stove on medium heat. You can add an extra splash of beef broth for moisture if needed.
Serve Your Roast With These Easy Sides!
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Easy 3 Packet Roast
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds boneless rump roast
- 1 packet ranch seasoning powder
- 1 packet Italian dressing powder
- 1 packet brown gravy powder
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth, or water
Instructions
- Place the roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the beef broth or water to a small bowl. Pour in the powder of ranch seasoning, Italian dressing, and brown gravy. Whisk together until the powders are dissolved.
- Pour the mixture over the roast into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or 4-5 hours on high.
- Shred and serve with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If I wanted to make this a complete meal and add red potatoes and carrots, when should I add them in the slow cooking process so that the potatoes are cooked thru and the carrots not mushy?
Can you use pork roast for this recipe?
Yes you can!
Sadly, the sodium count is off by a factor of ten.
The nutrition information on the 3 packets indicates a total of 13,280 mg of sodium just for them, which divided by six servings is 2213 mg per serving.
Almost all of the sodium is in the Italian dressing packet, so substituting homemade for that would make this doable from a sodium perspective.
Alyssa, I love your recipes, but maybe you should redo this nutritional information.
Could you use a bottle of Italian dressing in place of the packet (and just adjust the stock liquid?). I couldn’t find the Italian packet here in Canada but I really want to try this recipe.
Yes, I think that would work great!!
Does it freeze well?
Yes! I recommend freezing in individual portions.
Always great recipes and thankyou for doing what you do. Most appreciated.
I’ve been making this crock pot roast for years. Definitely comes out better with low sodium brown gravy mix. I also add fresh onions and garlic, and serve with mashed potatoes. Great comfort food.
I copy so many of your recipes, I have to check my files each time to make sure I don’t already have it befoe I add it again! I always make sure I have your name under the title because I know without trying it that I can use it for company and it will be delicious!
I was able to try this weekend. My kids loved it. I was wondering if I could add carrots, potatoes and celery to the crockpot while beef is cooking?
Yes, it would turn out great!
Been cooking this for several years. Don’t have to use a rump roast, though. I use chuck roast. And yes, carrots, potatoes, onions are great additions.
Sounds so so tasty. Can’t wait to try
Thanks for this recipe, Alyssa. One question….I have always browned my red meat. Before putting it in the slow cooker. You didn’t mention doing this…does the roast brown well even without browning it ahead of time?
I always just add it in as-is and it turns out great, but feel free to brown it beforehand if you prefer!
I have always seared a roast before cooking it, regardless of the method, as it does produce a more flavorful & tender roast. Sure, it takes a few more minutes & an extra pan but the payoff is certainly worth it. And, you can also sear your onions & carrots, too, if you so choose to add them!
While easy and oh so yummy it has way to much sodium for a lot of us.
You could make this with very little sodium if you used recipes for the ranch mix and Italian salad dressing mix and leave out the salt. Then, use water instead of broth like the recipe mentions, and you’ll only have the sodium from the gravy mix! I can’t wait to try it!
Great suggestion Dottie, because nowadays there are so many options for low sodium ingredients. Almost anything can be made with simple substitutions.
Upon further reading, a serving is only 231mg which is considered to be extremely low. In fact, it’s only 9.58% of your daily suggested intake of 2300 mg. Hope this information helps!
Yes! I made it tonight and it is super salty. I even used low sodium products.
Hello everyone
My husband has been on a restricted sodium diet for a few years now, and we try to keep the count to no more than 1500 mg of sodium per day, we have found using good quality lower sodium products helps keep us on track. At the count of 231mg per serving, I would not consider this a high sodium meal. The dietician at the Heart Inst. recommended to us to aim for about 400 to 450mg per meal. He was allowed the 2300mg, it was us that decided to try and limit it to the 1500mg per day.