Give Pot Roast The French Treatment With This Canned Soup

Pot roast is a family favorite that's likely stood the test of time because of its convenience. As all the ingredients are cooked together in a single dish, the prep work is effortless and the clean-up minimal. To make things even easier, give your next batch of pot roast the French treatment and sub the beef stock for a can of French onion soup.

The two core ingredients of canned French onion soup are beef stock and onions. Seeing as classic recipes for pot roast feature these two elements as standard, you're simply saving time by using a can that combines them both in one handy form. French onion soup also has an extra punch of umami flavor from additions like yeast extract, soy sauce, and Parmesan cheese. All of these ingredients naturally contain glutamate, which is the clever substance that gives certain foods their super-savory character and depth. While the beef itself has a meaty flavor that's released into the broth as it simmers, these umami-rich extras elevate that savoriness even further. Moreover, as the onions are already slow-cooked in the soup, they bring a caramelized note to the table, imbuing the dish with a balancing roundness and sweetness. Adding sweet ingredients to meat-based dishes is a useful technique to amplify their savory attributes. Take this recipe for a fantastic pot roast, for instance, which features Coca-Cola and spicy chile sauce.

French onion soup is traditionally served with toasted slices of baguette that have been topped with shredded cheese and broiled. To recreate these flavors in your pot roast, scatter some grated gruyere or cheddar over the top of your shredded beef, ladle over some gravy, and broil until everything turns golden, bubbly, and gooey. Serve with a few hunks of crusty bread (that have been rubbed with a clove of garlic) and some seasonal vegetables to complete your comforting meal.

If you haven't got French onion soup in your pantry, you can just as easily upgrade pot roast with canned cream of mushroom soup. This richer soup will create a gravy that has a luxurious consistency and flavor. Just like Parmesan and soy, mushrooms are an excellent source of glutamate and are often paired with beef to maximize its savoriness. Whichever variety of soup you add to your dish, remember that there are myriad ways to repurpose leftover pot roast if you've cooked a particularly large joint. For instance, with a couple of tortillas and some shredded cheddar, you can transform leftover pot roast into quesadillas. However, it can just as easily be used as a stuffing for sandwiches or stirred into a serving of mac and cheese to boost its protein content.