Crock pot roast with ranch dressing and brown gravy

This 3 envelope roast is the best, tender roast. With only a few ingredients, and cooked in the slow cooker it’s tender, falls apart, and is so flavorful. Perfect served with potatoes and carrots!

One of the best comfort food meals in the world is a pot roast. A tender roast that falls apart after cooking all day in the slow cooker with carrots and potatoes, is seriously perfection! This three envelope roast is so easy to make, with literally only seven ingredients (8 if you count water) and its the ultimate roast recipe.

This is the perfect flavorful and tender roast that is so good for dinner any day of the week. It’s simple enough you won’t be stressed, but delicious enough for a holiday, having friends or family over, etc. It’s the ultimate comfort food and everyone loves it!

This 3 packet roast got its name because to season it you literally add 3 packets (or envelopes) or seasonings, gravy mix, ranch dressing mix, and Italian dressing mix.

How to make a Three Envelope Roast?

First you’ll use one 0.87oz envelope of McCormick’s brown gravy mix, one 1.0 oz envelope of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix, and one 0.7 oz envelope of Italian Salad Dressing Mix. Mix those three all together with 2 cups of warm water. Set aside for a minute.

Peel and chop some carrots and potatoes into about an inch to an inch and a half sized pieces. About 2 1/2 to 3 cups of each, which was about 6 large carrots and 4 medium sized potatoes for me. Chop up about 1/2 of a large onion into the same sized pieces.

Place your carrots, potatoes and onion in your slow cooker, top the vegetables with a 2-3 pound beef roast and pour your seasoning mixture over the top of everything.

Cook on slow for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.

Tips for making a 3 Envelope Roast:

• The best way to get a tender roast, that pulls apart nicely is by using a chuck roast, or another roast with a good amount of fat marbled throughout. You can remove the fat when its done, but this will keep the roast nice and tender.
• Cook your roast on low if you have time (if you’re in a rush high will work) but you’ll get the best results, with the most tender roast if it’s cooked on low. 
• Sometimes I skip the carrots and add extra potatoes to mash up them up instead of serving them as is.

How to make gravy for a roast?

When the roast is done (or almost done) cooking scoop out all the liquid from the bottom of the slow cooker. Strain out any fatty pieces or chunks that have fallen into the liquid. Let the fat separate out for a minute and pour the liquid (without the oily top if possible) into a small sauce pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium high heat.

In a separate small bowl whisk together 1 TBS of cornstarch, and 2 TBS of water. Add the slurry to your sauce. The liquid will continue to cook and thicken. Season it with salt and pepper, and more beef bouillon as needed. You can add extra water if you need more liquid (just make sure to add more bouillon if you do) or some beef broth. Simmer the liquid until it reaches your desired gravy thickness. 

I love cooking a roast in the slow cooker for an easy meal. It’s one of my favorite ways to have a delicious and hearty meal without any hassle. And I love that I can leave the cooking, and go about my business for several hours and come back to the best smelling kitchen in the world. It’s one of my favorite Sunday dinner meals, especially when we are having friends or family over for dinner because no one can resist this tender and flavorful dish!

Looking for more beef recipes?

• Shredded Beef Tacos
• Chile Colorado Burritos
• Shredded Barbecue Beef on The Chunky Chef
• Mississippi Pot Roast on Belle of the Kitchen

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Servings 8 servings

This 3 envelope roast is the best, tender roast. With only a few ingredients, and cooked in the slow cooker it's tender, falls apart, and is so flavorful. Perfect served with potatoes and carrots!

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 8 hrs

Total Time 8 hrs 5 mins

• ▢ 3 cups chopped and peeled potatoes (1 - 1 1/2 inches in size, about 4 potatoes)
• ▢ 3 cups chopped and peeled carrots (1 1/2 - 2 inches in size, about 6 carrots)
• ▢ 1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1/2 onion)
• ▢ 1.0 oz Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
• ▢ 0.87 oz McCormick Brown Gravy Mix
• ▢ 0.7 oz Italian Dressing Mix
• ▢ 2 cups warm water
• ▢ 3 lb beef chuck roast

• Prepare your potatoes, carrots, and onion and spread them in the bottom of your slow cooker.

• Combine your ranch mix, gravy mix, and Italian dressing mix and warm water in a medium sized bowl. Stir together completely.

• Place your roast on top of your vegetables and pour your seasoning mix over the top of the roast.

• Cook in the slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

• Serve the roast with the vegetables and a homemade gravy if desired.

Calories: 420kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 35gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 875mgPotassium: 1079mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 8043IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 4mg

This three envelope roast was first posted on October 12, 2015. The photos and text were updated on November 11, 2021.

This three envelope roast was originally sponsored by Vanity Fair, all opinions are my own.

I’m joining the Vanity Fair® Napkins Take Back the Table Campaign to make a pledge to eat one more meal a week together around the table as a family. Its so important to take this time to enjoy a meal together as a family, to not only eat a good hearty meal, like this roast, but with how busy our days our to spend that short amount of time together, just with each other. Nate and I have decided to put our phones away during these meals, so we can focus on each other, Colby and not on what else is going on in the world.