This one is also forgiving of the frenetic family weekend lifestyle. It needs to spend another hour in a low oven because of an unexpected father-son trip to the urgent-care clinic (eye infection/ear infection)? No problem.

This works as a low-budget holiday meal, of course. (For another version, check out our Cooking 101 on roast with the executive chef of the Hyatt Regency Baltimore today.) 

Traditional Yankee Pot Roast

Makes 10 servings 

10 servings (serving size: 3 ounces beef and about 1/2 cup vegetables)

2 teaspoons  olive oil

1 (4-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

2 cups coarsely chopped onion

2 cups low-salt beef broth

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup chopped plum tomato

1 1/4 pounds small red potatoes

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to pan, browning on all sides (about 8 minutes). Remove from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Return roast to pan. Combine broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire; pour over roast. Add tomato; bring to a simmer.

Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours or until tender. Add potatoes and carrots; cover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in lemon juice. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

--Recipe and analysis from Cooking Light Complete Cookbook

Per serving: 290 calories, 8 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 33 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 92 milligrams cholesterol, 756 milligrams sodium