Want A More Filling Pot Roast? Just Add This One Canned Ingredient

When you need a hot and hearty dinner that can feed the whole family, pot roast can always be at the top of the list. There are some tips to follow for tender, flavorful pot roast, but when you use the proper kitchen technology, it's super easy to make a pot roast in the slow cooker. It takes a bit of time, but you just need the right veggies, some broth, and seasoning, and you can set it and forget it. You'll get a whole meal of perfectly cooked, tender beef, soft, tasty carrots and onions, and plenty of gravy to pour on your mashed potatoes, all with minimal effort. But if you want an even more filling beef-and-gravy dinner, think about adding some canned pinto beans to your next pot roast dinner.

Adding canned pinto beans to your regular pot roast recipe can pack on the flavor and protein. Just one cup of canned pintos gives you about 10 to 12 grams of protein. Adding a 15- or 16-ounce can to your pot roast dinner means more nutrition — not just additional protein, but extra fiber and essential nutrients, like folate and potassium as well, creating a more filling dinner. Simply pouring in a whole can of beans with the aquafaba juice can help thicken your gravy and layer on taste because it's loaded with starch and salt. However, depending on the beans you buy, you might want to think about rinsing the beans to decrease sodium or cutting back on added salt in your recipe.

When you're slow cooking a pot roast, simply add canned pinto beans to the slow cooker a couple of hours before the roast is done. They're already cooked, so they don't need a lot of time to get fully heated to allow the flavors to comingle. You want to experience the full roast and gravy, instead of just a can of beans poured on top of a pot roast. If you want to go the full cowboy pot roast route, add some canned, diced tomatoes, green chilis, and more beans (black beans and kidney beans are good). This makes it more of a backcountry chili situation, rather than just a beef-driven dish. They can be loaded on top of the beef or help melt a layer of shredded cheese.

There are some myths about canned beans, like they're not as fresh, have less flavor, and feature fewer nutrients than dry beans. But that's debatable. Some studies show canned beans might be easier for our bodies to process than the dried variety. Regardless, adding canned or dry beans to your pot roast will give you a whole new world of taste and protein. If you're adding dry beans to your slow cooker, let them simmer for about 10 minutes in water before tossing them in with the roast. They'll get slightly tender, then cook down with the beef, giving more depth and body to the gravy. If you're going slow and low, about 7 hours should be good. Either way, you can get a more filling and tastier pot roast, and it's as simple as just adding some pinto beans.