Nana’s Italian Pot Roast: A sensational classic filled with tons of great Italian flavors and spice. This will become a favorite dinner in your home.
A great bottle of wine makes the best Italian dishes. I consider myself an expert on this. That’s because I think my husband might be Italian, and he just doesn’t know it. No one person can love Italian food so much without having those roots somewhere. Because of this love, we have tried tons of Italian restaurants in Chicago, and I have cooked more pasta and bolognese in my day than most people but this Nana’s Italian Pot Roast is extra special.
Several years ago when my husband and I were still courting (that means dating for all the youngins), we frequented a restaurant in Chicago that served a dish called Nana’s Gravy. The name was the catch for me. Anything with grandmother in the title immediately strikes a cord. It was a delicious slowly braised beef in an indulgent tomato sauce over rigatoni. I like to think of it as Italian Pot Roast. It is absolutely delicious. When we started spending a bit too much money to order this dish whenever the craving struck us, I tried recreating it at home and calling it Nana’s Italian Pot Roast. By the third time, I had a fantastic rendition that we happen to think revels the original. It is now an Adams classic.
Just imagine beef so tender that it falls off the bone submerged in a decadent crushed tomato sauce filled with caramelized onions, garlic, Italian seasonings, chicken stock and wine. And not just any wine. Let me tell you about this wine.
Love Cork Screw, a Chicago based company, is doing big thangs in the wine game here. They happened to be a sponsor for my event A Charitable Confection this year, and all I heard from guests was how incredible their wine was.
Everyone definitely agrees because in the course of one year, this savvy wine company (with the cleverest and cutest bottle names) has expanded to several grocery and speciality liquor stores across the city. I used their 2005 Cabernet “Moving On Up” in this recipe, and it really brought out the intense flavors and deliciousness of the beef.
I learned a great tip from the amazing Ina Garten. She has always said to only cook with wines that you would drink, and this is a wine I definitely enjoy drinking so it was right at home in this recipe.
I served Nana’s Italian Pot Roast over some cooked rigatoni, and we ate like royalty. This is a recipe you can make for date night, special occasions or even this New Year’s. It is spectacular and definitely worth the 4 hour slow roast time. And remember, the fun part is celebrating with a glass of wine after your feast is complete!
Disclaimer: I was not paid to share any information about Love Cork Screw. I am a true believer in their products. All opinions are my own.
- 2 pounds pot roast, beef shanks or short ribs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- ⅓ cup red wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning and herbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- Garnish: chopped parsley and parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Liberally season both sides of beef with salt and pepper. Don't be shy. They will need lots of flavor.
- Add olive oil to large pot over medium high heat on stove.
- Once olive oil is hot, add beef to pot and deeply brown on all sides then remove from pot.
- Scrap the bottom of the pan to get the flavor back into the oil. Next add chopped onion and sweat them for a few minutes until they start to soften and turn golden.
- Add in minced garlic and only cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine, and chicken stock. Stir in Italian seasoning, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Bring sauce to a simmer.
- Lastly return browned beef to pot and submerge in the sauce.
- Bake covered for 3½- 4½ hours or until beef is cooked through, tender and falling off the bone and sauce has thickened. This will depend on the thickness of beef.
- Remove pot from oven and gently ladle the oil off the top of the sauce which has settled. Simmer over medium low heat to thicken sauce.
- Cook pasta according to instructions on package and drain.
- Serve completed gravy by adding pasta to serving platter, topping with meat and gravy and garnishing with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese.
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Oh you are right, a great wine makes a great Italian meal!! Love this pot roast!
Thanks so much hon!
I also totally agree on the wine. Ina’s weeknight bolognese is so good and the wine has a lot to do with it. Anything with “gravy” in it sounds amazing, too. This looks delish!
Hooray thanks so much Monica.
I could definitely go for a big bowl of this right now. Looks so comforting. And love the name! Definitely agree…anything with the name Nana HAS to be good!
Yep agreed. Nana equals good food in my book.
YES! An Italian meal isn’t a meal without wine. And thank you for bringing up the Ina Garten quote– it’s so true! Speaking of which, though I’m not a huge Buzzfeed fan, you have to check out this page they did on her. My sister and I laughed so hard when we read it together! http://www.buzzfeed.com/samstryker/ina-garten-is-our-one-true-queen
OMG I just read it! That is so hilarious. Gosh Ina is such a class act.
This Italian Pot Roast looks amazing!!!! and if you think your husband is Italian because he loves Italian food that much, then Paul might be Mexican! 😛 gimme a big bowl of this now .. yummm!!! looks so good!
Yep girl, Frederick is starting to like Mexican food now so I might be moving over to that field soon ahha. Thanks boo!
Delicious! The meat looks so tender!
It is super tender. It literally melts!
I love Ina’s tip! Only cooking with wines that you would drink ensures great flavor. I definitely need to check out the Love Cork Screw products. This roast looks heavenly!
Hooray don’t you just love Ina?
This is the perfect dish for a glass of nice wine! This pot roast looks delicious! Definitely making it, since my husband loves pasta (he isn’t Italian either).
Gosh I think all husbands must adore Italian food.
Pot roast in a red wine sauce has to be good! (I love my red wine). 🙂 What a comforting, delicious dish, Jocelyn. This I need to try! 🙂
Thanks so much Marcie!
This pot roast looks amazing. I think I need a new pot roast recipe, and this looks like it could be the one. Red wine and beef are so incredible together!
Yep try it out and let me know what you think.
Man does this look amazing! I could go for a huge serving!!
I totally did Carrie!
Oh dear my mouth was watering as you described this decadent dish!
Yep its sooo dangerous.
Now that is one darn good looking pot roast, Jocelyn! This is a definite must try.
Hooray thanks hon!
Oh.My.Gosh. This is amazing, and just what pot roast should be! Not what I was expecting, but so so much more. Can’t wait to try this! I am such a sucker for anything pasta + red sauce. I could eat that meal 5x a week. YUM.
Hooray thank you so much Nicole!
This looks mouthwateringly delicious! I love that you served it over pasta. That’s my kind of meal!
I think the pasta really makes this dish!
I am Italian (though I don’t look it at all) so naturally I think this looks delish 🙂 Love the addition of wine, it looks like the perfect comfort food for these cold winter nights. Yum!
Gosh this is total Italian comfort food. Thanks Sherri!
Man oh man, I would LOVE to come home to this! This looks incredible! YUM!
Thanks so much Jessica!
Hahaha you are too funny with the schooling on courting! I was seriously about to google it.
I must say, if you had this dish in front of me, I’d probably inhale it! I love pasta with meat sauce and a glass of wine to compliment the meal… simply perfect!
Girl I had to let everyone know what the old school term courting meant haha. Thanks hon!
This looks so incredible!! I pinned it for later! I am always looking for more dinner recipes!! Also that polka dot napkin is SO cute!
Thanks so much boo!!!
I love the names of the wines and this pot roast looks amazing. I bet it smells just as good. This is definitely going on my to-cook list for 2015.
The smell is heavenly Chineka!
Well, you definitely had me at Nana’s and then I saw pasta and I was a goner. There must be some Italian roots in me somewhere because I live for pasta dishes 🙂
Yes pasta is sooo quite addictive Jocelyn!
Love a good pot roast, and yours look incredible!
Thanks so much Jessica!
This is definitely my kinda pot roast! Adding this to my must-make list 😉
Woot woot thanks boo!
This looks so good. I’m not old enough to drink yet but I love to use mine in my cooking. Happy New Year!
Haha yep indeed. You can definitely use this in your cooking and the alcohol cooks out of the dish but the flavor remains.
My mouth is watering! Definitely a comfort food must have this winter. 🙂
Have a happy new year, Jocelyn!!
Happy New Year to you too Tina!
My grandmother was my nana too. <3 I love this!
Hooray thank you so much Angie!
I wish that I could have a dish of this for dinner tonight!
I wish I could have this every night!
Until verrrry recently I used the really cheap cooking wine, but I’ve since started using a cheap sauvignon blanc…not sure I would actually drink it, but that’s very good advice! This recipe looks so comforting and delicious! Hope you have a wonderful New Year, can’t wait to see what you have for us in 2015!
So true Denise! The better the wine, the better the dish!
This looks and sounds delicious. I love me some hearty food in this cold weather! Going to make this one very soon.
Yep its delish!
This looks tasty, my family would love it! Thanks, pinned!
Hooray thank you so much Paula!!
What a great gravy! And I totally agree with the wonderful Ina Garten, only cook with wine you would actually drink. Makes a big difference. Happy New Year!
Gosh it makes such a huge difference! Thank you so much Suzy!!! Happy New Year to you a well!!
This looks like the best way imaginable to serve pot roast! Wish I had a big bowl of it for dinner tonight!
I know that’s right girl!
Man, this looks soooo good, especially with all this cold weather that’s rolling into town. This will warm me right up!
I need as much warming up as possible. Its 0 degrees outside!
*faint*
I JUST WANT ALL OF THIS. I WANT TO EAT 10 BOWLS WORTH!
Yep 10 bowls sounds good to me girl!
THIS WAS AMAZING! I’m eating leftovers as we speak! I used short ribs and a mondavi pinot noir and WOW!! My husband said “This is high end restaurant quality”. I can’t even begin to describe the depth of flavor and it’s PERFECT over the rigatoni with some grated Romano cheese. Great way to end my no-carb month! Will definitely make this again for our friends!
Hooray I am so glad you enjoyed it Amy! It is my husband’s absolute favorite!!
I tried this recipe over the weekend, Jocelyn, and it was fantastic!
Hooray that is fantastic! I am so glad you enjoyed it.
This is a super great recipe. I used short ribs in place of the pot roast and then added Italian sausage followed the recipe to a T and it was wonderful. Will be making again and again and again. Only thing I will do next time is cut back on the 2T of sugar, maybe just one.
Hooray I am sooo glad you enjoyed it Lisa!!! That Italian sausage addition sounds fantastic!
Hi, how many pounds of short ribs did you use, & how much sausage. Was sausage bulk or links. This sounds yummy I can’t wait to try it along with fresh made pasta
I used 2 pounds of beef shanks so you can use roughly the same amount.
Mmm! Nothing like a rich, hearty, meaty pasta dish to make a girl happy! This looks amazing! I want this soon!
This recipe is baking in my oven right now. The whole house smells heavenly, and I can hardly wait until I can dig in!
Hooray let me know how it turns out!
I have made this dish many times now. It is an absolute favourite. My husband and I love it, with a great bottle of red wine of course. Really, I pin, and print so many recipes from the net; but this one is one of the best. A real keeper.
Thank you so much Mia! So grateful that you enjoyed it. It is my husband’s fave recipe too!
This is one the best Italian dishes I have ever eaten! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe “saved the day” two nights ago!! My husband is the primary chef (quite a gourmet) and cooks 90% of the time. In a moment of insanity, I invited five dinner guests (which would make a total of nine, with the four of us) on one of his long days at work. This meant I was stuck making dinner and was functioning in panic mode. I’ve made Italian pot roast in my crock pot, but it didn’t hold a candle to “Nana’s Pot Roast”!! It was awesome, accompanied by a delicious salad and Pinot Grigio (not the classic red, but delicious, nonetheless!).
Thank you, Jocelyn!!
Wonderful!!
This dishes looks amazing. I am not a chef by any means, but I tried this and it was delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
Taking a guess at the Chicago Restaurant….Cafe Bionda???
Yes that’s right!
Hi Jocelyn,
I’ve made this recipe before and it’s fantastic! I want to make it this Sunday for 4-6 people, so while this recipe calls for a 2 lb roast, I want to buy a 4lb roast to ensure there’s lots of food and leftovers too. How much roasting time do I add when doubling this recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Courtney, I would probably add another 45-60 minutes to it but just check it to see exactly when it will be done. I hope it turns out well! So glad you enjoy this recipe. It is one of our faves!
I have revived this recipe for Easter this year. Am making a pork shoulder roast, which I love, and am making Nana’s Italian Pot Roast as a side dish. I think I will be the most popular one this year! Thank you, Jocelyn, for this delicious recipe!
Thank you for this!!!
I must ask, was this restaurant possibly named Cafe Bionda near the south loop. Been there and would always order it. Now I have to try this recipe! That is for the post!
Yep it totally is! My husband actually says he loves this pasta more than theirs haha. Enjoy!
Pot Roast?? what type of meat do YOU actually buy? I made it with chuck boneless shoulder and bottom round roast..tasty
tx