Crock Pot Roast with pumpkin is a perfect seasonal twist on on a classic comfort dinner. Tender roast made in a slow cooker with fresh pumpkin, carrots, onions, and flavorful tomato based gravy.
Prepare your veggies. Slice onion and cut carrots into even chunks. To cut the pumpkin, pop off the stem with a knife (blade facing away from you) and cut the pumpkin in half. Scoop out all the seeds and membrane. Cut each half in two and peel the skin off with a vegetable peeler. Cut pumpkin meat into chunks that are the same size as carrots.
Preheat a medium cooking pan over medium heat.
Combine salt, black pepper, and garlic powder in a little bowl and mix well. Rub rump roast generously with the seasoning mixture on all sides.
Add canola oil to the pan and sear rump roast on every side until deep golden brown.
Once all sides are browned, take roast out and set aside.
Smash garlic, chop it quickly and add it to the pan. Saute just until fragrant.
Deglaze the pan by adding a little bit of beef stock and scraping it with a wooden or plastic spatula to lift the meat bits.
Add remaining stock, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Carefully stir until all combined. (Use a whisk if needed.)
Add salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme. Cook until heated through.
In a little bowl, stir together corn starch with a couple of tablespoons of cold stock. Once mixed, stir corn starch mixture into the beef stock mixture. Cook until thickened and take off heat. (Taste to make sure you have enough salt and other spices.)
Spread sliced onions in the bottom of the crock pot.
Place seared meat in the center of the stock pot.
Add pumpkin and carrots all around the meat.
Pour gravy mixture over the meat and veggies.
Cover crock pot with a lid (do not lock it) and set it to cook on low for 6-8 hours.