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Welcome to first full week of December…and happy Monday!
Just in case you aren’t already completely aware of this fact…it’s the most festive month of the year! The time of year when dinner parties are in full swing, and fancy menus items, like this Roasted Beef Tenderloin are just what everyone needs in their back pocket. Easy recipe ✔️ Delicious recipe ✔️ YES!
You guys, I’m sorry if all my Christmas talk is making you want to pull your hair out, but I literally just can’t help it. I think the crazy year I’ve had just has me so overjoyed for this month. I LOVE the month of December with all of its excitement. I also love how by the end of the month, things finally start to settle down and pretty much the whole world takes a chill pill, which is kind of needed for me at the moment. The year has been go, go, go for me, and I’ve loved every minute, but I have to say, I’m excited for Christmas Eve with my family. It’s a low-key night full of cooking, good food, plenty of cocktails for some, gift wrapping and hanging out by the fireplace. I mean, it’s still a crazy day, but in good way, that I 100% love. In fact Christmas Eve is probably my favorite day of the entire year. It’s probably the one day of the year that I don’t think about work. I just cook a good meal, listen to Christmas music and hang out with my family…and whomever is currently sharing my parents house…you just never know who’s gonna be there!
I wanted to kick off the month with my family’s Christmas Eve Dinner entree. Last year I did a standing rib roast, but this year I’m going back to the classic Gerard family meal of Christmas Eve roasted beef tenderloin.
I know it’s only the beginning of December, but I thought you planners of the world might appreciate me being on the ball this year. Plus, the entire month is dedicated to holiday eats, drinks, appetizers and a few easy dinners for busy nights. Are you excited yet? Because I am so excited…as if that wasn’t obvious before.
My family moved to Colorado when I was in 8th grade, but before that, every year my parents would host my dad’s side of the family for a Christmas Eve party. I want to say there were around twenty-five to thirty people, so our house was pretty packed. My mom always prepared the same meal ever year. Yup, a roasted beef tenderloin. My mom is a huge lover of good beef, but this cut right here is her favorite. Plus, I’m pretty sure my grandma (Dad’s mom) would serve it on Christmas Eve, before my mom started hosting the family gatherings, so really my mom was just carrying on the tradition.
Anyway, mom made beef tenderloin ever year, and when we moved, she continued to do so. When I started cooking however, I kind of wanted to get creative with the big dinner. I’ve cooked up a few different roasts over the last couple of years, always some kind of beef, but I’ve yet to try my hand at a beef tenderloin.
Well, that just changed, and to be completely honest, I may never have the urge to get creative again. Something about this meal is just so amazing. I mean, for one, it’s as easy as can be. I’m talking EASY, one skillet and ready in less than an hour. Seriously.
Two, it’s possibly one of the most delicious meals for anyone who eats meat, my family absolutely LOVES beef tenderloin and considers it a very special treat. I’m talking melt in your mouth kind of delicious treat.
The beef is seasoned simply with crushed peppercorn, kosher salt and Dijon mustard. If you don’t like mustard, don’t let that scare you off. It adds flavor, but in a subtle way. You’d never guess the mustard was there, but trust me, you need it.
The secret though? Just a little bit of butter…I can see my cousin rolling her eyes now, “more butter!?”. Yes Abby, more butter, but only a couple of tablespoons, and honestly, it really is the secret here. It’s what makes the meat just melt in your mouth and helps to make it tender, juicy and perfect.
I roasted the beef over a bed of mushrooms for yet another layer of flavor. The mushroom and pan drippings are what create the white wine cream sauce. Here’s the thing, while the steak is amazing on its own, this sauce takes it to a whole different level. The drippings from the pan create the most flavorful cream sauce and it’s probably the best thing ever when paired with beef tenderloin, for real.
So is your mouth-watering yet? Because I know any family member of mine who may be reading this is going to be kicking themselves that they weren’t around to eat this one. Don’t worry, Christmas Eve guys, Christmas Eve! Only nineteen days until I’ll be serving it up again.
Hoping this Gerard family favorite will now be on your family’s menu too!
Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms and White Wine Cream Sauce.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 503 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 (4-5) pound whole beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup peppercorns, crushed, or fresh balck pepper
- kosher salt
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
White Wine Cream Sauce
- 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 cups heavy cream or whole milk
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1. Allow the beef to come to room temperature for at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. 2. Rub the beef with mustard and season generously with peppercorns and salt.3. In a large oven safe skillet, toss the mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the beef over the mushrooms and insert a meat thermometer. Add the butter to the top of the beef. Transfer to the oven and roast until the beef registers 120 to 125 degrees F for medium-rare/rare, about 25-40 minutes, dependent on the size of your roast. 4. Remove the beef and mushrooms from the skillet to a serving plate and cover will foil. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.5. Meanwhile, make the cream sauce. Place the same skillet used to roast the beef over high heat. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits off the pan. Simmer 3-5 minutes or until the wine has reduce by about 1/3 to 1/2. Add the butter and thyme and continue cooking another 2 minutes until the butter has melted into the sauce. Slowly pour in the cream and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.6. Slice the beef and serve with the warm cream sauce and roasted mushrooms.
ps. if you wanted to give this beef a try before Christmas, I think it would make an awesome Monday dinner. Obviously.
Can I use my Dutch oven instead of a skillet to make this delicious dinner?
Hey Jennifer,
Yes, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xx
Hello, totally Solivating over this recipe for months! Cannot wait to make it for Christmas dinner! My only hang up is, what wine to use… I’m not familiar with wines do I use a cooking wine or something random off the shell Does it matter?
Hey Dee Marie,
I really love using a Chardonnay here, Kendall Jackson is a fave! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Everything was amazing, but I think I did something wrong! When I poured the cream in, it got chunky and full of milk bits. What did I do wrong?
Hey Bethany,
Perfect!! ⛄️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! Was the cream at room temp? xx
Hi There!
I toggled the recipe for 6 pax and it shows > ▢0.75 (4-5) pound whole beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat. Can I check what is the weight of the beef tenderloin required as I am unclear? Thanks!
Cheers,
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
You will want to use a 3-4 pound beef tenderloin. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hi there,
We love all of your recipes! I’d like to make this for Christmas dinner for 12 but need to do it on the grill to preserve oven space. Do you have any suggestions on how to alter the recipe if we are grilling the meat? Thank you so much!
Hey Brenna,
I would go ahead and follow this recipe for grilling and then just make my sauce:)
https://www.thekitchn.com/grilled-beef-tenderloin-recipe-23424440
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I have made this for 2 people and did about 3 pounds and it was AMAZING. Thinking about making it for family Christmas dinner this year. Is 4-5 pounds really enough for 8 people?
Hey Emily,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for your comment! Yes, typically 1/2 pound per person is perfect! xT
Going to make this for a smaller group, super excited! Can I just halve all of the ingredients and proceed with the instructions or is there something special I should do?
Hey Nicole,
Sure, you can halve the recipe, you are going to need to reduce the cook time as well, I would be sure to use a meat thermometer to cook the meat to your liking. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
OMG Tieghen! Made this for our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, turkey’s usually always disappoint, but this roasted beef did not! We all agreed that it was the best holiday meal ever, especially because we paired it with your crockpot cheesy mash potatoes and everything was so absolutely yummy and came out perfect. We were so happy because beef tenderloin is a little pricey right now (actually most everything is) but the flavors that came out of this and how tender the meat was made it sooooo worth it! The only thing I altered (based on the other reviews) was I preheated my cast iron pan in the oven as it was getting to 475 degrees then quickly seared the beef on all sides, removed and then put the mushrooms down and placed the beef back on top. You’re completely correct about the dijon mustard, it adds a great flavor. Love your cookbook by the way!!
Hey Dan,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Holidays!❄️
Hi! I’m getting ready for the holidays and testing this recipe out next week. Does this get crusted on the outside at all when it is roasted? Just confirming I have not ever tried this and don’t see anything about searing and don’t want to ruin this expensive cut of beef. Thanks!
Hey Madison,
Yes, you should end up with a nice crust when roasting this:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you! xT
Hi Tieghan! I made this two times its so delicious (!!), but mine didn’t get a crust, what did I do wrong? It was in the oven at 475 F for 25 minutes. I did add a bit more butter on top, could that be the problem? Thanks!
Hey Nilanthi,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! You could always sear the meat first in the skillet before adding the mushrooms! xx
Wondering if this can be done in a regular roasting pan? My cast iron skillet isn’t big enough for a 5-6 lb tenderloin.
Hi Erin,
Yes, that will be okay for you to do! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope it’s delish! xx
If you want to make the sauce without the meat for something else what do you suggest since I won’t have the drippings from the pan?
Hi Erin,
I would just follow the recipe as is without the drippings:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
The meat cooked up so nicely and was delicious. I had trouble with the sauce, it never thickened for me. I still served it and it complimented the meat nicely but just didn’t look as presentable. So good!
Hey Kimberly,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Sorry to hear about your sauce! xTieghan
Do you think I could make the cream sauce the day before? This recipe looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it Christmas Day.
Hey Colleen,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I hope this recipe turns out well for you! Happy Holidays! xx
Just made this dish for our Easter dinner and it was beyond delicious! We finished every last bit and my husband asked me to please save this recipe.
Hey Amanda,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! Have the best week!? xT
Hello! I was hoping to prepare this for Easter. But my husband and I are not fans of the taste of mustard. Is there any substitute you can think of that would work well? Thank you in advance!
Hi Kirsten,
You can just skip the mustard:) I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
What would you recommend to sub to make it dairy free. Would coconut cream work?
Hi Caroline,
Yes, coconut cream will work well for you here! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xx
We made this for Christmas dinner and it was fantastic! Definitely going in our recipe book for special occasions and holiday dinners. Thank you.
Hey Katherine,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan