West African Pot Roast is a one-pot dinner with familiar ingredients that gives you the feeling of traveling without ever leaving your home!
We love updating a classic Pot Roast with unique and exotic flavors, like our Moroccan Chickpea Pot Roast or Mexican Pot Roast. There are so many combinations of veggies and spices that can be used to keep dinner fresh and interesting, while sticking to a tried-and-true method producing fork-tender meat and savory stewed veggies in one easy dish!
Sabrina’s West African Pot Roast Recipe
The savory, nutty sauce is made by combining creamy peanut butter with beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Peanut butter and tomato paste both have a slight natural sweetness that balances the heat nicely while also thickening the sauce. This is going to be a flavor combination you will love!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 1 sweet potato , cut into 2-inch chunks
- 3 carrots , cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- chopped peanuts , as a garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Season the chuck roast with the salt, pepper, and thyme sprigs.
- Add the vegetable oil to a pan and heat. When it ripples and is hot add in the roast and brown, deeply, for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Add onion, sweet potatoes and carrots around the chuck roast.
- In a large bowl whisk together beef broth, peanut butter, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, and hot sauce.
- Pour over the chuck roast and cook, covered, for 3 – 3 ½ hours.
- Remove from the oven and remove thyme sprigs before serving.
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About this Recipe
The result of this combo of ingredients is a silky peanut sauce that enriches this hearty dish, which is filled with good-for-you ingredients. Peanut butter adds healthy oils and extra protein, while the capsaicin from peppers in the hot sauce is believed to boost metabolism and aid with pain from migraines and arthritis. In addition to complementing the flavors, carrots and sweet potatoes lend extra fiber as well as vitamins and minerals!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- I suggest using creamy, unsalted peanut butter with no added palm oil or sugar. The additives that are in other peanut butters might clash with the flavor and texture of the rest of the dish.
- If you don’t have fresh thyme sprigs, you can use a teaspoon of dried thyme leaves.
What to Pair With
West African Pot Roast can be served atop Brown Rice or Quinoa for an even greater nutrient boost. You can also make a batch of buttery Dinner Rolls to soak up the yummy sauce. To add more veggies to the meal, try serving it alongside Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Sautéed Green Beans.
How to Store
- Serve: West African Pot Roast can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours or kept warm in a crock pot for up to 4 hours.
- Store: Cool the Pot Roast completely and transfer to an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in the oven for best taste.
- Freeze: Once cooled, place the Roast in a sealed freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Alternative Cooking Methods
Finishing on Stovetop
After browning the seasoned meat and adding all of the other ingredients, heat on medium high heat until boiling. Then move the pot to a back burner on low heat for the remaining cook time, checking liquids halfway through. Add ½ cup of beef broth if it looks dry.
Slow Cooker
- Sear the seasoned beef roast on both sides in a large skillet and set aside.
- Add the onion, sweet potatoes, and carrots to the bottom of the crock pot.
- In a large bowl whisk together beef broth, peanut butter, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, and hot sauce.
- Place seared chuck roast over vegetables, pour sauce on top, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Instant Pot
- Turn on sauté function and sear seasoned beef in oil for 4-5 minutes on each side, then set meat aside.
- Whisk together beef broth, peanut butter, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, and hot sauce. Use 1 cup of the mixture to deglaze the pot and scrape off any brown bits. Leaving brown bits will trigger “burning food” and your pressure cooker won’t get hot enough.
- Add carrots, onion, and sweet potatoes to the instant pot. Layer the meat on top and pour over the remaining broth mixture.
- Seal lid and pressure valve. Set to manual high pressure for 45 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
Variations
- Meat: Try this dish with whole chicken pieces or beef stew meat. If using chicken, be sure to check that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Nut Butters: If avoiding peanuts due to allergies or other reasons, try this recipe using creamy cashew butter, almond butter, or even tahini.
- Veggies: In the fall, replace the sweet potatoes with squash such as pumpkin, butternut squash, or acorn squash. Try wilting in washed and chopped greens such as kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard by mixing them into the pot in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
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hi! is this adaptable for a slow cooker?
Yes, I give slow cooker instructions in the post above the recipe. Enjoy!