Crock Pot Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast [Recipe]

So, usually I make my pot roasts with cream of mushroom soup and french onion soup mix just like my mom always did. NOT CLEAN. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE pot roast. It is a staple of my childhood, and since I absolutely loathe cooked carrots (don't ask me why--I have always picked them out of any dish), I always make mine with mushrooms and onions and serve over mashed potatoes. So, the comfort food of my childhood was definitely not going to cut it when I started craving some good ol' fashioned pot roast the other day. I searched Pinterest (oh how I love that site) and came across this recipe that uses all clean ingredients! It can be found at A Cook's Quest. It is delicious and tangy! So good and with minimal effort!

picture courtesy of A Cook's Quest

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb boneless chuck tender roast
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper
• 1-2T olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 2-3 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced thick
• 1 small basket of pre-sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, reduced to 1/2 cup
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce (or 1/4 cup tomato paste and 1/4 cup water)

Directions

1. Rub meat well with onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.
2. Heat pan and coat with olive oil. Brown the roast really well on both sides.
3. Reduce your vegetable broth, let cool and add balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce.
4. Place onions and mushrooms in bottom of slow cooker, top with roast.
5. Deglaze the roasting pan with 1/4 cup water and add drippings to balsamic mixture. Mix well and pour over roast and onions in crock pot.
6. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until roast falls apart.
7. After roast is finished, remove from crock pot along with mushrooms/onions and cover to keep warm. (Note: you can also broil for a few minutes to caramelize the onions and get a nice crisp finish to the meat) 
8. Cook down the liquid by about 1/3 to get a nice "gravy" -- add cornstarch or flour if you want to thicken it. Serve over mashed potatoes or with baked/mashed sweet potatoes.

Makes approx. 6 servings