This roasted beef tenderloin recipe introduces an easy, scrumptious, and richly flavored dish that’s good enough to make any homemade meal feel like a luxurious feast. The tenderloin cuts are browned in the skillet, grilled in the oven, then basted with a thick red wine sauce to serve. You'll have perfectly roasted beef with a nicely browned crust and a super juicy center. Cooking tips and ways to prepare are also included!
What Is Beef Tenderloin?
Beef tenderloin is the most tender and expensive cut of beef. It comes from the spinal area of the cow, somewhere between the shoulder blade and the hip socket. This cut is usually lean with little fat and connective tissue, promising a wonderfully tender taste. It’s one of the favorite choices of chefs all over the world thanks to its full-flavored fattiness and prime ribs.
This boneless beef cut also has a convenient cylindrical shape, so you don't need any “Masterchef” carving skills to carve it — just slice medallions and serve.
When purchasing a beef tenderloin, you have two options: unpeeled cuts with the fat and silverskin intact, or peeled cuts with all the trimmings removed.
You can ask the butchers to trim and tie the beef for you and in exchange, they'll charge you a slightly higher price for it. The whole and raw beef cuts are cheaper but will require more prepping time but don’t worry - you can find detailed instructions on how to prep them later in this article.
Beef Tenderloin vs Filet Mignon
“Beef tenderloin” refers to a large cut of beef located within the loin and filet mignon is made from the very tip of the narrow end of the cut. So in short, once a beef tenderloin is sliced into steaks, they are referred to as filet mignon (sometimes also labeled as chateaubriand).
Is This Recipe Healthy?
This roasted beef tenderloin recipe is an easy and tasty way to create a healthy meal at home. We kept an eye on the measurements in this recipe so that its nutrition profile aligns with our Healthy eating guidelines.
As mentioned above, beef tenderloin is a high-quality lean cut that’s carbohydrate-free and protein-rich. It's also packed with minerals such as iron, potassium, magnesium, niacin, zinc, and B vitamins.
Veins of marbling in a beef tenderloin are mostly saturated fat, which is known to contribute to many heart-related health issues. Therefore, the degree to which a beef tenderloin has been trimmed of fat and silverskin has a significant impact on its nutritional value.
To combat this, we have included detailed instructions on how to prepare a ready-to-cook beef cut in the sections below.
This dish provides a square 500 calories and only 6.5 grams of saturated fats. We used only 1 tablespoon of olive oil to marinate and brown the beef and 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter to cook the red wine sauce. These fats are necessary to help the meat brown faster — but in our recipe, there’s just enough to keep the dish tasty while keeping the calories under the healthy limit.
How to Prepare Beef Tenderloin
For a nicely roasted beef tenderloin dish, here are all the steps to prepare the beef tenderloin cut:
- Drain or chill it overnight to get a dry surface
First things first, always make sure that your beef cut is drained well or patted dry before beginning any prep. You can also leave your tenderloin unwrapped in the fridge overnight to dry out the surface.
If there's any moisture left on the surface of the meat, it will be difficult to raise it beyond the required temperature. This is because water evaporates at 212°F (100°C), so it would take much longer than it should to reach this point and start to cook the beef.
Also, it's hard to brown a beef cut that’s packed with moisture; you would have to turn the heat up above 350 °F causing the meat to burn very easily.
- Trim off the silverskin
If the cut hasn’t already been trimmed by the butcher, you should do so after draining any excess moisture. Start by removing the "silverskin" that runs along the length of the tenderloin (silverskin is a thin, silver membrane that becomes tough when cooked). Gently run your knife beneath the membrane, carefully slice it off, and then pull it up to remove and discard.
- Cut and tie
Next, cut the tenderloin in half to create two small roasts as they will be much easier to cook than a whole tenderloin. However, if you prefer to roast the tenderloin whole, you can skip this step.
Because a whole tenderloin has an uneven shape, with a thin, tapered tail on one end and a fat bulb on the other, you'll need to fold that thinner end back and tie it in place to keep it compact and ensure even cooking.
To tie a beef tenderloin, tuck the long pointed end up into the thicker part of the tenderloin at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine. Make sure to tie your roast firmly enough to create a uniform cylinder shape with the same thickness, but not too tightly that the beef loses its shape.
- Salt (optional)
The purpose of salting the beef cut is to make it more savory, partially dehydrate its exterior, and change its muscle structure.
As salt penetrates the meat, it dissolves a protein called myosin. As a result, the beef cut will shrink less and expel less moisture when cooking, making browning more efficient.
Sauce for Beef Tenderloin
To make the red wine sauce for this beef tenderloin, first, we sauté yellow onions and white mushrooms in melted butter until golden brown and fragrant. Flour, red wine, chicken broth, brown gravy mix, and lemon juice are then added successively and stirred well together until the mixture slightly thickens.
When complete, set this red wine sauce aside to baste the tenderloin before serving to lend the dish more flavor.
How Long to Cook
To successfully cook any meat of any thickness, a thermometer is always worth an investment, and beef tenderloin is no exception. If possible, a digital probe thermometer with an alarm is ideal.
When roasting the beef in the oven, it's best to check it periodically if you're unsure. Insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the cut and check the temperature it displays.
Beef tenderloin is lean and has no intramuscular fat so you shouldn't roast it beyond medium, otherwise, it will become dry and rubbery. Set the heat at medium and, based on how rare you like it, follow this table for internal temperature and cooking time and be sure to stop cooking as long as the beef cut has reached the required temperature:
Beef doneness | Internal temperature | Cooking time in total |
|---|---|---|
Rare | 125-130℉ | about 12 minutes |
Medium-rare | 130-140℉ | about 15 minutes |
Medium | 140-150℉ | about 17 minutes |
After you remove it from the heat source, internally, the beef tenderloin will continue to rise by about 5℉ as the juice starts to settle and redistribute. A perfectly roasted beef tenderloin should have a dark crust on the exterior but be soft and deep red in the center with slight resistance.
How to Reheat the Leftovers
Placed in airtight storage containers or Ziplock bags, beef tenderloin leftovers will last well for up to 3 days in the fridge. Alternatively, you can freeze the portions in airtight freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
To reheat the leftover roasted beef tenderloin without ruining its taste and texture, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Thaw the frozen portions in the fridge overnight.
- Step 2: Transfer them to a nonstick skillet with a lid and pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes at medium heat. The lid will help to lock in all the juices, keeping the meat moist and awakening the flavors. Turn the beef cuts every couple of minutes until they're heated through.
You can also reheat roasted beef tenderloin quickly in the microwave. Simply cover the meat with cling film then warm it up in the microwave for 3-5 minutes.
What to Serve With
This roasted beef tenderloin is already flavorful enough as it is, so you should keep the side dishes light and fresh so as not to overwhelm the palate. We recommend a salad, to add a bit of color and fiber to the meal as well as mellow out all the main dish's hearty richness.
There are many you can choose from, but we went with a Greek Salad. This tasty green salad offers a healthy source of fats from the feta cheese, as well as generous amounts of fiber from the veggie mix.
If you're in the mood for some more roasted beef, our Beef Fajitas Recipe is the one to try!
Roasted Beef Tenderloin
Learn how to prepare a juicy and flavorful Roasted Beef Tenderloin that will be the centerpiece of your next dinner party or special occasion. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a home cook looking to expand your repertoire, this easy, detailed recipe will have you whip up a steaming hot pot with ease!
- cook TIME 25 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 30 mins
- COURSE Main dish
- CUISINE Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 504 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 34 oz beef tenderloin (lean)
- 14 oz potatoes (cubed)
- 8 oz green beans (chopped)
- 2 oz white mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 oz yellow onion (diced)
- 2 fl oz red wine
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 tbsp brown gravy mix
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Add the 14 oz potatoes to a mixing bowl, cover with cling film and microwave for 5 minutes.
Add 8 oz green beans to the mixing bowl with the potatoes and microwave for another 2 minutes.
In another bowl, rub 34 oz beef tenderloin with a spice mix of 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Preheat the oven to 400 ℉.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Brown the seasoned beef for 7 minutes on all sides.
Add 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp thyme, and 2 garlic cloves to the skillet. Cook for 1 more minute.
Remove the beef to a wire rack and let it rest for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, make the red wine sauce: Heat 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat in the same skillet and sauté 1 oz diced yellow onion for 30 seconds.
Add 2 oz sliced white mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute until golden brown.
Add 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour and stir constantly.
Add 2 fl oz red wine, 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth, 1 tbsp brown gravy mix, and 1 tsp lemon juice.
Cook the red wine sauce for 1 minute, turn off the heat, remove to a separate bowl and set aside.
Grill the browned beef tenderloin for 10 minutes in the oven.
Remove the beef tenderloin from the oven.
Carve the beef into thick slices.
Garnish with 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Serve the roasted beef tenderloin with the microwaved potatoes and green beans, and the red wine sauce on the side.
