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Home » Ninja Foodi Recipes » Mexican Pot Roast in the Ninja Foodi

Mexican Pot Roast in the Ninja Foodi

April 21, 2019 By Louise 28 Comments

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Mexican Pot Roast with rice and beans on a colorful plate

Mexican Pot Roast with rice and beans on a colorful plateMexican Pot Roast in the Ninja Foodi is so easy to make and tastes delicious! It's a great twist on a classic one-pot meal!

I like traditional pot roast, I really do. The sad fact is, I've never made a truly delicious traditional pot roast! It's always lacking something, either the flavor is not quite there or the the texture is not quite right. I've under cooked and over cooked pot roast. I've under seasoned and over seasoned pot roast. I've eaten wonderful pot roasts, but they weren't made by me... until now!

This Mexican Pot Roast is absolutely PERFECT in every way! The seasonings are spot on, the texture of the chuck roast is like butter. It is seriously perfect! Now that I have the technique down, I'll bet you'll be seeing more pot roast recipes for the Ninja Foodi coming your way!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. 

What cut of meat should I use for a Pot Roast?

This is a great question and the cut of meat does matter! A LOT!  Chuck Roast on a cutting board for Mexican Pot Roast

There are so many different cuts of beef in the grocery store and it can be very confusing! I see a lot of comments on Facebook in various cooking groups about pot roast failures. Usually this is because the wrong cooking method was used for a cut of beef. Of course personal preference also plays a big part in picking the right cut of meat and I'm going to go over three popular cuts that people use for pot roast and hopefully help you pick the cut that will work best for you!

Chuck Roast: This is the cut I recommend for making Mexican Pot Roast or really any pot roast. The chuck roast is cut from the shoulder area and tends to be a tough cut of meat, and fatty. This would not be great for steaks, but it is great for pot roast! The chuck roast can handle the high heat of a pressure cooker and does not dry out because of the fat that is marbled throughout the meat.

Chuck Roast is best cooked in a wet cooking environment for a long time. It can take 3-4 hours of braising in the oven and 8 hours in a slow cooker to break down the connective tissue which results in a tender roast. Thankfully, we have the Ninja Foodi or pressure cooker and we can cut this time down to 30 minutes with a little kitchen hack I'm going to show you.

Rump Roast: The rump roast is cut from the back end of the cow and is a very hard-worked muscle, resulting in a very tough and lean cut of beef. The rump roast is often chosen for pot roasts because the longer you cook it, the more tender it becomes. This works perfectly for making a pot roast in a slow cooker, but doesn't always work out so great when using a pressure cooker.

The slow cooker, does just that... it slow cooks the meat at a low temp for a very long time. This can tenderize even the toughest cuts of meat. While in theory, the pressure cooker can do the same thing, there is one problem. If you release the pressure too soon, all the moisture is sucked right out of the meat, leaving it dry and stringy. Not pleasant, in my opinion.

You can successfully make a rump roast in the Ninja Foodi, but you will have to cook it for a very long time and let the pressure release naturally. If you want to read more about pressure cooking, you can find a lot of great information in this article: Pressure Cooking 101.

Round Roast: Round roasts consist of several different cuts (Top Round, Eye of Round, Bottom Round) and are cut from the rear end of the cow just below the rump roast. This type of roast is also very lean and tough.

I find the best way to prepare a top or bottom round is to cook it at a high (dry) heat for a short period of time, followed by a low temp to cook the inside. This roast is best served sliced very thin and is a popular cut for pit beef sandwiches.

I have not made a round roast in a pressure cooker or slow cooker, I think they are better cooked in a drier environment. I found out recently that the corned beef you buy at the deli is a top round that is brined and not brisket.

If you want to learn more about the various cuts of meat, this article has a great graphic and basic descriptions; Understanding the different cuts of beef.

10 Ideas for Leftovers!

Breakfast Burritos in the Ninja Foodi BakedI don't mind eating leftovers, but I always like to switch them up enough so I feel like I'm eating something different! Here are my top 10 ideas for leftover Mexican pot roast. I'll warn you though, there might not be leftovers.

 

 

  1. Burritos: The leftover meat with the rice and beans makes a perfect stuffing for a burrito. You can get timing and instructions on rolling a burrito in my recipe for Breakfast Burritos.
  2. Tacos: The left over pot roast shreds beautifully for tacos; soft or hard shell! Delicious!
  3. Mexican breakfast hash: Saute some diced potatoes with onions and when 3/4 of the way cooked, add in the shredded pot roast with some hot sauce. Yummy!
  4. Mexican Beef Rice Bowl: Mix the rice, beans, pot roast together and make a dinner bowl. Quick & Easy!
  5. Taco Salad: Top your favorite salad ingredients with the shredded pot roast, add some cheese and sour cream. Guacamole would be great too! The perfect lunch.
  6. Mexican Omelet: Use the shredded meat, beans, and rice to stuff your omelette. Don't forget to add some salsa on top!
  7. Mexican Tortilla Soup: Add the shredded beef to my Vegetable Bean Soup (recipe coming soon) and you'll have a Mexican flavored soup! Don't forget the tortilla chips!
  8. Nachos: Put your favorite nacho toppings on tortilla chips and add the shredded beef. YUM!
  9. Flautas: Simply roll the beef, beans, and rice into flour tortillas and AC in the Ninja Foodi. Quick and Delicous!
  10. Mexican Dip: Finely chop the beef and add to Queso to serve with tortilla chips. Great for an appetizer!

How to make Mexican Pot Roast in the Ninja Foodi

This recipe is so easy! There is hardly any prep and the Ninja Foodi does all the work! My kind of recipe for sure.

The first thing you want to do is take your meat out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temp, this takes about an hour. You don't want to leave your chuck roast out of the fridge longer than 2 hours or bacteria may start to grow.

The second thing is to prepare your seasoning blend. Combine 2 tsp sea salt, 4 tsp cumin, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp of ground chipotle. Of course, if you don't want your Mexican Pot Roast spicy, leave out the chipotle pepper. Researve 1 1/2 Tablespoons for the rice and bean mixture and the rest will be used on the chuck roast.

Measure out your rice and beans and give them a quick rinse using a fine sieve strainer or colander.

Turn on the Ninja Foodi on High sauté and add 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil. You want a light coating over the entire pot.

This is the kitchen hack that decreases the cook time of your chuck roast in half! Cut the chuck roast into 4 equal pieces and liberally season with the Mexican seasoning. Don't forget to reserve 1 1/2 Tablespoons for the rice and bean mixture.

By cutting the meat into 4 chunks, you are reducing the density of the meat and therefore the cooking time is much less because the heat produced by the steam doesn't have to penetrate the meat as far to cook it.

Searing the Mexican Pot Roast in the inner pot of the Ninja FoodiWhen the Ninja Food is really hot, add your chunks of chuck roast and let them sit without flipping for about 3 minutes. Repeat for each side and the ends.

While the meat is searing, peel your carrot and chop up your onion (if using). I dice about 1/2 cup of onion to add to the rice and cut a large onion or 2 small onions into wedges to cook with the Mexican pot roast.

Remove the seared meat from the Ninja Foodi, but leave the sear/sauté on. Pour in 2 cups of beef Deglazing the inner pot after searing the meat for Mexican Pot Roastbroth into the hot pan to deglaze it and remove any stuck-on food. I like to use my scoop & spread to gently scrape the bottom of the Foodi, but you can use anything that is safe for non stick surfaces.

*If you want your rice and beans to be drier at the end, decrease the beef broth to 1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups. I found that even though the rice and beans were a bit liquidy at first, they quickly absorbed the liquid and were much better for reheating.

Rice, Beans, Corn, Tomatoes, and seasonings in the inner pot for the Mexican Pot RoastAdd in the rice and beans along with remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp of Mexican seasoning. Add 2 cups of frozen corn and 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes. Stir to combine.

Place the rack on the low position over the rice & bean mixture. Put the carrots and onions on the rack and place the meat chunks on top. Set the Ninja Foodi to high pressure for 30 minutes. Make sure to put the valve to seal.

Mexican Pot Roast on the rack in the Ninja Foodi

When the 30 minutes is up, allow to natural release for 20 minutes. This gives the rice and beans time to absorb the liquid and prevents the roast from drying out.

Chop up 1/2 cup cilantro, and 2 green onion stalks. 

Remove the rack with the pot roast and veggies. Let the meat sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Stir the cilantro, and green onions into the rice and beans. Close the TenderCrisp lid on the beans and rice to allow them to continue absorbing the liquid and to keep them warm.

Optional toppings and "gravy" for Mexican Pot Roast

I always like to add a few special touches and I LOVE sauces, so I whipped up a very simple sour cream sauce to go with the Mexican pot roast.

Combine 1/2 cup of sour cream with 2 Tbsp of your favorite hot sauce ( I love Cholula ) and 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro. You can also add some lime zest and juice. It's delicious!

I also like spice, so I added a few sliced jalapeno to the top of my pot roast.

You dress it up however you like and I know you are going to LOVE it like I do!

 

Mexican Pot Roast with rice and beans on a colorful plate
Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

Mexican Pot Roast in the Ninja Foodi

Recipe by The Salted PepperFollow us on Pinterest!
A delicious twist on a classic one pot meal! The best thing besides the taste is that it only takes about 1 hour to make from start to finish! 
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Natural Release20 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Ninja Foodi Mexican Recipe, Ninja Foodi Pot Roast Recipe,
Servings: 6
Calories: 651kcal
Author: Louise

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 1/2 lbs chuck roast
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 3/4 cup brown rice rinsed
  • 3/4 cup black beans dry
  • 14.5 ounces fire roasted tomatoes
  • 2 cups corn frozen, optional
  • 1 lb carrots optional
  • 2 large onion sweet or vidalia
  • 1 cup cilantro chopped
  • 2 green onions white and green part

Seasoning Blend

  • 4 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp ground chipotle optional

Sour Cream Gravy

  • 1 cup sour cream optional
  • 4 Tbsp Cholula
  • 1/2 cup cilantro chopped

Optional Toppings

  • 1 jalepeno pepper optional
  • Green onions
  • grated cheese

Instructions

  • Bring your chuck roast to room temp. Mix up the seasoning blend and remove 1 1/2 Tbsp. Heat the Ninja Foodi on Sear Saute on HIgh. Add 2-3 Tbsp of Olive Oil.
  • Measure out your rice and beans and give them a quick rinse using a fine sieve strainer or colander.
  • Cut the chuck roast into 4 equal pieces and liberally season with the Mexican seasoning.
  • When the Ninja Food is really hot, add your chunks of chuck roast and let them sit without flipping for about 3 minutes. Repeat for each side and the ends.
  • While the meat is searing, peel your carrot and chop up your onion (if using). I dice about 1/2 cup of onion to add to the rice and cut a large onion or 2 small onions into wedges to cook with the Mexican pot roast. 
  • Remove the seared meat from the Ninja Foodi, but leave the sear saute on. Pour in 2 cups of beef broth into the hot pan to deglaze it and remove any stuck on food.
  • Add in the rice and beans along with remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp of Mexican seasoning. Add 2 cups of frozen corn and 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes. Stir to combine.
  • Place the rack on the low position over the rice & bean mixture. Put the carrots and onions on the rack and place the meat chunks on top. Set the Ninja Foodi to high pressure for 30 minutes. Make sure to put the valve to seal. Natural release for 20 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure. 
  • Remove the rack with the pot roast and veggies. Let the meat sit for 10 minutes before serving. Chop up 1/2 cup cilantro, and 2 green onion stalks and stir into rice mixture. Close the TenderCrisp lid. 
  • Combine 1/2 cup of sour cream with 2 Tbsp of your favorite hot sauce ( I love Cholula ) and 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro to make the Mexican "Gravy". 
    Serve with desired toppings and Enjoy! 

Video

https://youtu.be/EPCDyBp0Ucw

Nutrition

Calories: 651kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 1294mg | Potassium: 1316mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 13490IU | Vitamin C: 12.5mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 6.8mg

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rick Brewer

    January 20, 2021 at 5:43 pm

    If the chuck roast is 3.27 lbs, how much should I increase everything?

    Reply
    • Louise

      January 21, 2021 at 9:41 am

      Since the roast is cut into chunks, you shouldn't have to change anything except maybe cut it into 5 pieces instead of 4.

      Reply
  2. Peter Larson

    May 06, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    Can I use a frozen roast?

    Reply
    • Louise

      May 06, 2020 at 3:28 pm

      You can, but you would need to Pressure Cooker it longer and adjust all the times for the beans and rice. It is probably easier to thaw it, I find you get better results most times with thawed meat verses frozen.

      Reply
  3. Sabrina Duncan

    March 22, 2020 at 11:22 am

    Can I leave out the beans.? What would I need to do?

    Reply
    • Louise

      March 23, 2020 at 8:03 am

      Yes, you can do that. Although I haven't tested the recipe that way, I would omit the beans and reduce the beef broth to 3/4-1 cup. Please let me know how that works!

      Reply
  4. Caitlin

    January 06, 2020 at 9:56 pm

    I made this meal over the weekend. It was my first time using my new ninja foodi, and .... oh my goodness.
    Everything about this recipe is so wildly delicious. The beef was fork tender, and the beans & rice mixture was the best I’ve ever eaten. I have never had pot roast with Mexican flavor, but this has officially made our dinner rotation.

    After 10 minutes of eating dinner with my husband, where we only stopped shoving food in our face to express our pleasure with the meal, my husband made me promise that I will make this again and again. I followed the recipe exactly, minus the green onions, that I personally dislike. But if I were serving for company, I’d definitely have them as an option. Leftovers today were heavenly. YUM, thank you so much for this amazing recipe & fantastic instructions!!!

    Reply
    • Louise

      January 08, 2020 at 3:31 pm

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  5. Sandi

    November 24, 2019 at 10:03 am

    5 stars
    So we tried this last night. The chuck roast was a little dry, maybe because it was just slightly smaller than 2 1/2 lbs? I might try it a little less time next time? I definitely seared it on all sides. However, the rice/bean mixture was fantastic!! Just used some of the leftovers over my eggs and my husband's leftover breakfast casserole. It was delicious! You know the 2nd day is always tastier when having some spices! The thickness is perfect and understand why it needed to be 'soupier'. It thickened up quickly and like I said, perfect today! My question is that we would like to make a double batch of the rice/bean mixture only (NO MEAT) and freeze some. Can you please give me advice on how much liquid & spices to use as the bulk of the spices were for the meat? I understand because there won't be meat juices that will effect the liquid amount. Also, how long should I PC & NR this? Thank you for this recipe. It definitely is a keeper!!

    Reply
    • Louise

      November 26, 2019 at 8:06 am

      That is a great question. I would probably use 3 1/2 cups of broth for a double batch of just the rice and beans. Same cook time. As far as seasonings go, I would probably add the entire spice blend recipe to the double batch. If that seems like too much, you can always season afterwards, too.

      Reply
      • Sandi Del Rosario

        November 26, 2019 at 9:02 am

        Thanks Louise! I will definitely try this and let you know what I ended up using and how it turned out! You are awesome!

        Reply
      • Sandi

        April 14, 2020 at 11:42 am

        I finally just made the double batch of just the rice/beans based on your recommendations. Came out perfect! Thank you! Now to make the Mexican Shredded Chicken and use both of these recipes for some awesome burritos or just eat it in a bowl!

        Reply
  6. sylvia

    October 23, 2019 at 5:43 pm

    Surprise, surprise. I only had a rump roast and when I checked my bagged (in my seal meal bag) black beans and saw they were date 4/15...Oh no. Using a rump roast at only 30 minutes of pressure cooking! Well, I was giving this recipe a 30% chance of turning out fork tender roast and tender black beans. Oh my gosh. Turned out perfect. I omitted the carrots. Pretty everything else followed to the tee...My husband loves Mexican food. He will be very happy with tonights dinner!
    Thank you,

    Reply
    • Louise

      October 27, 2019 at 8:32 am

      5 stars
      That is wonderful! I'm so glad the rump roast worked!

      Reply
  7. Sarah

    October 22, 2019 at 9:09 pm

    5 stars
    Incredible. I've made a thousand pot roast recipes, and probably more Mexican dishes, and this is by far the easiest and most versatile. I made it with wild rice and dry black beans, used sun-dried tomatoes and omitted the corn (by accident). Also played with different chile powders My family is really picky but everyone loved this.

    Reply
    • Louise

      October 23, 2019 at 12:50 pm

      I am so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  8. Charla D Carr

    September 26, 2019 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this for the second time. I followed recipe exactly except I didn't use the corn. So good both times!!!

    Reply
    • Louise

      September 26, 2019 at 11:32 pm

      That is so awesome! Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment on my recipe. I appreciate it so much!

      Reply
  9. Kate

    August 04, 2019 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    It was easy and absolutely delicious. I didn't use carrots and beans, and used 1.5 cups of rice instead. I also didn't have frozen corn so I added can of corn once everything was done.

    Reply
    • Louise

      August 05, 2019 at 9:26 am

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  10. Gina

    June 23, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    This is the best pot roast recipe I have ever tasted! The meat just melts in your mouth.

    Reply
    • Louise

      June 23, 2019 at 6:50 pm

      Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  11. Jennifer

    May 02, 2019 at 7:35 pm

    What is a "natural release" ? is it just opening it up to let the steam out? then leave lid on for 20 minutes?

    Reply
    • Louise

      May 02, 2019 at 7:55 pm

      No, natural release is when you don't do anything and let the Ninja Foodi naturally release the pressure for 20 minutes. After the cooking time counts down, the timer will begin to count up and when it hits 20 minutes, then you release the pressure. Check out this article I wrote on Pressure Cooking, I learned a lot doing research on it. It will give you a better handle on all the terms too. https://thesaltedpepper.com/how-to-use-the-ninja-foodi-volume-two-pressure-cooking-101/ I also have this article and I can't remember, but one of them has a cheat sheet with an explanation of what the terms mean. https://thesaltedpepper.com/how-to-use-the-ninja-foodi/ All My Best, Louise

      Reply
  12. Kim

    April 22, 2019 at 9:57 am

    I can't wait to try this recipe! However, I was wondering if I could leave out the tomatoes? Would I need to increase the beef broth?

    Reply
    • Louise

      April 22, 2019 at 8:05 pm

      Yes, you can leave out the tomatoes. Considering mine was a little soupy at the end, I don't think you will need more liquid.

      Reply
  13. Kim Belk

    April 21, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    Can I use pintos or pink beans? Also what about white rice?

    Reply
    • Louise

      April 22, 2019 at 8:10 pm

      Pinto beans are a bit bigger and might take longer to cook, but that won't hurt the pot roast. As far as the rice, I really recommend sticking with the brown rice in this recipe. White rice cooks in 2 minutes and would be very mushy by the time the pot roast and beans are done. You could try Aborio rice, but I haven't tested the recipe with it.

      Reply

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