We like roast in our family, but roast can be time consuming and expensive to cook. For this reason the crockpot works great. The crockpot does all the work and makes the meat very tender. This lets you use cheaper cuts of meat.
When I do cook roast I like to serve it with vegetables and potatoes. But I don’t like how vegetables turn out when you cook them all day in the crockpot. When they cook in liquid all day it makes them very mushy and I don’t like mushy vegetables. Yes, you can add the vegetables part way through the cooking time, but you have to be home to do that.
I have found a way though to cook both the roast and the vegetable in the crockpot all day and still get the results I want.
Here is what I do:
I take a sheet of foil and place the peeled and cut up vegetables on it. Season with salt and pepper.
I then wrap it up into a package.
Then I place the meat in the crockpot and season it. Just season it however you like it. I don’t add liquid. I have found that you get enough liquid just from the meat, but if you want to add a little liquid go ahead.
Then place the foil vegetable packet on top of the roast.
Place lid on crockpot and cook on low for about 8 hours. And then carefully remove the foil packet from the crockpot. Open packet carefully and serve with roast.
For more slow cooking ideas see Slow Cooking Thursday.
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I’m planning to cook a roast today so this is great!
Great tip. Thanks for sharing!
Great idea! Thank you for sharing. My kids do not like the mushy veggies either.
wow i didn't know you could cook foil in a crockpot! so are the potatoes nice and soft that way? do you wrap up the potatoes & veggies tight without poking any holes, etc.? i'm so hungry now!
Great tips! Thanks!
Renee’
http://rmboys2.wordpress.com/
Heather, the potatoes and veggies are still nice and soft but not brown and mushy.
I just wrap the foil pretty tight and NO holes. Just wrap and place on top of meat.
thanks for letting me know! i’m going to print this out so i can try it soon! my husband should enjoy this because sometimes carrots will take over the other flavors and he doesn’t like that. or sometimes when everything is cooked together it all tastes the same instead of having individual flavors. so i think this will solve both of those issues!
looks nummy! I usually just toss the veggies in … I’ll try the tinfoil next time.
now that is a clever idea!!
This is a terrific idea, Lynn.
Susan
What a great tip! I’m gonna do this next time.
What a great idea, it looks SO good.
Great Idea!!! I like to do a version of this I call tin foil dinners on the grill.
I have roast in the crockpot on the menu for next week, so I’ll give this a try with the potatoes in the foil! I hate the potatoes tasting like the roast! Great tip!
This is a great idea. And I know my dd would like the black bean pizza. She is a vegetarian.
I never would have thought of that. I’ll definitely try it next time, thanks for the tip!
Putting the vegetables in foil is such a good idea! I don’t like how the vegetables get when they’re cooked with the meat either, because they just seam to taste like meat, and you don’t have a distinct different flavors. I will try it.
Hi Lynn! You commented on my blog about the Proactiv and I just wanted to come by your blog and say thanks! It wasn’t too long and I really did appreciate you sharing that info with me on why it bleached my pillowcase like that. Thanks for taking the time and effort to share with me.
I really like your blog! I’m wondering around enjoying the cooking tips. I recently revamped my kitchen and I really love cooking so this is *just* the thing to get me inspired to great cooking again! I love this particular post…I’m a big fan of crock pot cooking but I never do it! That will change now
Stop by again sometime, I’ll be back here soon too. Have a great Sunday!!
This is a awesome tip. I will try it on my next roast dinner. I to hate mushy veggies. I just par boil them on the stove them add the to the roast the last hour. I like your way better.
Lynn, I am making this today, and I can’t wait to see how my veggies turn out, thanks for the great tip.
I have to say that those looked so yummy! I never thought of whether i liked the veggies mushie or not, I just thought thats a roast!
I will def give this a try especially since my husband HATES carrots and will actually pick them out. this way they can all cook together but separate. THanks for the tip!
I love this idea!! I have the same problem. I always have to cook roast when I’m going to be home, which defeats the purpose because I want to put veggies in the crock pot half way through. I can’t wait to try the foil idea!! Genius!!
I have been keeping tons of your recipes, thank you so much. I don’t really enjoy cooking but, I’m a mom. My biggest downfall is determining the spices. Could you please give me some guidance on choosing the spices for over the roast. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.
@Daphne, My favorite way to season a roast when I cook it in the crockpot is with a package of Lipton Onion Soup mix. It is so easy and so good. In fact it is what I fixed for dinner tonight. If I don’t use that I usually just season it with a little salt and pepper. I hope that helps.
I just saw this and am going to take a roast out of the freezer right now to cook tomorrow.
I’ve never thought of putting the veggies in foil. Great idea!
I also do not care for veggie in the crock pot, especially potatoes. Thanks for the tip. Having your potatoes and carrots separate will allow you to season with other spices like rosemary,thyme,etc. Thank again.
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