There's nothing better than serving a gloriously tender Eye of Round Roast for Sunday dinner. Homemade roast beef is amazing with au jus and your favorite side dishes. And not only do you get to enjoy a wonderfully comforting meal with little effort, this easy eye of round roast recipe also makes enough to have delicious leftovers throughout the week. You can even pile pieces onto a hoagie for the perfect roast beef sandwich!
Jump to:
What Makes This Recipe Great
Tender Meat for Less Money. Eye of round roast tends to be a less expensive cut of meat that tastes truly luxurious. Eye of round roast shrinks about 20 percent when roasting or broiling. So ideally, 4 ounces of uncooked eye of round will yield about 3.2 ounces when cooked. A 3 pound roast, as called for in this recipe, will make 8 servings with slightly more than 12 ounces of eye of round roast for leftovers. Quite simply, that's a lot of beef for your buck!
Easy to Prepare. This recipe takes just a few steps to put together, and then cooks hands-off in the oven for several hours. No tying beforehand or basting throughout needed for this eye of round roast.
Homemade Au Jus. Use the roast drippings and a handful of pantry staples to blend together a savory, delicious au jus to enjoy with your beef roast. It's perfect for serving on the side as a thin gravy or for dipping roast beef sandwiches.
Versatile. There are nearly unlimited side dishes that pair great with eye of round roast beef. Enjoy for dinner, hearty lunches, to make fun appetizers (like sliders!), and much more.
Perfect for Leftovers. Use leftover eye of round roast to make the best roast beef sandwiches, hot or cold. Reheat and serve with quick sides for easy weeknight dinners.
How to Make Gloriously Tender Roast Beef
- What is a Healthy Amount of Meat per Person? A good serving size per person is about 3 to 3.5 ounces per person. The eye of round roast will be your main course and you will also serve it with side dishes. You may even serve desserts or appetizers. The 3 to 3.5 ounces per person with the other dishes will be plenty. - The USDA MyPlate recommends no more than 5 to 6 ounces of meat per day per adult.
- Key Equipment - Oven Ready Meat Thermometer, roasting pan with rack, and patience. This eye of round roast beef recipe does take a long time to prepare, but I promise it is so worth the wait.
- Seasonings - Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, mushroom powder, and garlic powder. This simple blend brings out the most savory and wonderfully earthy flavors in the beef. Plus, you'll also need olive oil for rubbing the roast.
- How to Cook the Roast - First, pat the eye of round roast down with paper towels. Then rub with oil, and season generously. For perfectly medium-rare roast we recommend that you cook for 5 minutes per pound of beef. Then, the secret to the best roast beef is to shut off the heat, keep the door closed, and allow the eye of round to rest and cook for another 2 hours undisturbed. Remove the roast when the internal temperature reaches about 135 degrees F.
- Tips for Slicing - Use a slicing or carving knife or an electric carving knife to cut the eye of round roast beef into ¼ inch slices.
- Storage - Uncooked beef can be stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days and frozen for up to 4 months.
- Leftovers - Cooked beef can be stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days and frozen for up to 6 months. Make sure to save any au jus that is left.
How to Make Au Jus From Scratch
After the eye of round roast has been removed from the oven and is resting, make an easy au jus with the pan drippings in 3 simple steps:
- Melt butter in a medium sauté pan on the stovetop. Quickly whisk in flour to make a roux. Continue whisking in the beef broth, pan drippings, and Worcestershire sauce.
- As you continue to stir, bring the heat up a bit so that the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce the heat back down to a simmer, and continue to stir until it's reached your desired consistency.
- Taste and add salt and pepper if you like. Transfer to a gravy boat to serve along with slices of roast beef.
Tips for Making the Best Roast Beef Sandwiches
Split hoagie buns or sandwich buns and toast them under a broiler. Spread mustard or horseradish sauce on the buns. Layer with slices of roast beef and cheese. Pop under the broiler for a minute or two until the cheese melts. Top with onions, tomatoes, lettuce or pickles. Serve with heated leftover au jus, if desired.
Recipe Variations
Replace the Seasoning Blend with:
- Chili Seasoning: 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- Italian Seasoning: 1 tablespoon dried basil, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, red chili flakes to taste.
- Smoky Sweet: 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Herbs de Provence: 1-½ tablespoons Herbs de Provence, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic Chili Pepper: 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning
Suggested Side Dishes
- Sweet and Crispy Roasted Carrots and Potatoes
- Instant Pot Broccoli
- Easy Sautéed Green Beans with Brown Butter and Almonds
- Perfectly Crispy and Tender Roasted Baby Potatoes
A robust red meat dish like this goes great with a deep, full-bodied red wine. I recommend pairing with a pinot noir or merlot.
More Delicious Dinner Recipes
- Crispy, Moist Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Amazing Herb Rubbed Top Round Roast
- Delicious Lean and Tender Rump Roast
- Roasted Chicken Thighs (Family Friendly)
📋 Recipe Card
Spectacular Eye of Round Roast Recipe
Ingredients
Seasoning Blend
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon mushroom powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Eye of Round
- 3 pound eye of round roast
- 2 tablespoons pure olive oil
Au Jus
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup pan drippings
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove your roast from the refrigerator and let stand. Place a rack on a roasting pan.
- Preheat oven to 500°F.
Seasoning Blend
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, mushroom powder and garlic powder.
Eye of Round
- Using paper towels, pat your roast dry. Drizzle oil over the roast. Using your hands, rub the oil all over the roast.
- Sprinkle seasoning mix all over the roast. Place roast, fat cap side up, on the rack in the roasting pan.
- Insert an oven ready meat thermometer horizontally into the thickest part of the roast. Cook roast for 5 minutes per pound.
- Do not open the oven door. Turn off oven. Leave roast, undisturbed, in oven for 2 more hours. Remove roast from the oven when the meat thermometer registers 135°F for medium-rare. Transfer roast to a cutting board and tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes. (Temperature will continue to rise about 10°.) Reserve ¼ cup of the pan juices.
Au Jus
- In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Quickly whisk in the flour. Slowly whisk in ½ cup of the broth and cook, whisking vigorously, until incorporated. Pour in the remaining broth, the reserved pan juices and the Worcestershire sauce.
- Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until au jus is slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, slice the roast across the grain into ¼-inch thick slices. Transfer the sliced beef to a serving platter. Drizzle with a little of the au just.
- Transfer the remaining au just to a gravy boat. Serve alongside the sliced roast beef
Leave a Reply