Pour french onion soup over raw chuck roast, alongside 2 additional ingredients, into slow cooker for a hearty supper that's always a yes in my house

This slow cooker 4-ingredient Amish-style onion beef is exactly the kind of weeknight dinner I rely on when work runs late and I still want something cozy on the table. The whole idea is wonderfully simple: you set a raw chuck roast in the slow cooker, pour canned French onion soup over the top, add just two more pantry staples, and let it go low and slow until it’s fall-apart tender. It has that old-fashioned, church-potluck comfort vibe with almost no hands-on time, which is probably why it’s always a yes in my house.

I like to spoon this tender oniony beef over creamy mashed potatoes so all those savory juices have something to soak into. Buttered egg noodles or white rice work just as well when I’m using what I have on hand. Add a simple green side—steamed green beans, a tossed salad, or roasted carrots—to balance out the richness. Warm dinner rolls or crusty bread are perfect for mopping up the extra sauce, and if you’re doing leftovers, the meat makes amazing sandwiches on toasted buns with a slice of provolone.

Servings: 6

3 to 3.5 lb beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat

Place the raw chuck roast into the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker, trimming any large, hard pieces of fat if desired. The roast should sit flat in a single piece.

Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix evenly over the top and sides of the roast, using your hands to pat it on so it sticks to the meat.

Drizzle the Worcestershire sauce over the roast, letting it run down the sides into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Pour the canned French onion soup evenly over the raw chuck roast, making sure to cover as much of the meat as possible. The liquid will pool around the roast and create the base for a rich oniony gravy.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is very tender and easily shreds with a fork.

Once cooked, use two forks to shred the beef directly in the slow cooker, discarding any large fatty pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the onion-rich juices so everything is well coated.

Taste the beef and juices, then adjust seasoning with a little salt and black pepper if needed. Serve the onion beef hot with plenty of the cooking liquid spooned over each portion.

If you like a richer gravy, whisk 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of cold water and stir it into the slow cooker juices during the last 30 minutes of cooking on HIGH, or simmer the strained juices on the stove until thickened. For a slightly sweeter, more Amish-style pot roast feel, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of brown sugar before cooking. You can also tuck in 1 to 2 pounds of baby potatoes and a few peeled carrots around the roast before pouring on the French onion soup for a full one-pot meal. To make it more sandwich-friendly, shred the beef, pile it onto toasted hoagie rolls, top with Swiss or provolone, and broil until the cheese melts. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days and freeze nicely; I like to portion the beef and juices into containers for easy future dinners.