Place butter pats on raw beef chuck roast, paired with 1 savory ingredient, into slow cooker for a tender dinner that’s the one everyone asks for

This slow cooker 3-ingredient Amish-style butter beef is the kind of set-it-and-forget-it dinner that totally saves my weeknights. It’s inspired by the simple, hearty, no-fuss recipes you find in Amish and Midwestern church cookbooks: a good beef chuck roast, plenty of butter, and one savory seasoning that does all the heavy lifting. You literally place butter pats over a raw chuck roast in the slow cooker, sprinkle on dry onion soup mix, and walk away. Hours later, you’ve got fork-tender, flavorful beef that tastes like you spent all day fussing over it—when really, you prepped it in about five minutes before work.

Serve this tender butter beef piled over creamy mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or steamed white rice to soak up all those buttery juices. I like to add a simple veggie on the side—roasted green beans, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, or a quick salad with whatever’s in the crisper. Warm dinner rolls or crusty bread are perfect for mopping up the extra sauce. If you’re planning ahead for the week, portion the meat into meal-prep containers with rice and a green vegetable for easy grab-and-heat lunches.

Servings: 6

3 to 4 pounds beef chuck roast

Place the raw beef chuck roast into the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. If needed, cut the roast into two large pieces so it fits in a single layer.

Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix evenly over the top and sides of the roast, pressing it lightly so it sticks to the meat.

Cut the butter into thick pats and place them all over the top of the seasoned, raw chuck roast, covering as much of the surface as you can. This should look like a close-up shot of hands dotting butter over the roast in the slow cooker on your countertop.

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 shreds easily with a fork.

Once cooked, use two forks to shred the beef directly in the slow cooker, mixing it with the buttery, savory juices. Taste and add a pinch of salt and pepper if desired.

Serve the shredded butter beef hot with your favorite sides, spooning some of the juices over the top of each portion.

Use salted butter if that’s what you have; just taste before adding extra salt at the end. If you prefer a bit more savory depth, add a second packet of dry onion soup mix for a larger roast. For a slightly lighter version, you can reduce the butter to 6 tablespoons and add 1/4 cup beef broth so there’s still plenty of liquid. To make it a full one-pot meal, scatter baby carrots and halved baby potatoes around the roast before adding the butter pats—just know this technically adds more ingredients, but it’s great when you want everything to cook at once. Leftovers are fantastic for sandwiches: pile the shredded butter beef on toasted buns with a slice of provolone, or tuck it into tortillas for quick beef tacos. This recipe also freezes well; cool completely, portion into freezer bags with some of the juices, and freeze for up to 3 months for an easy reheat-and-eat dinner on extra busy nights.