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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.
If you’re cooking for about 20 people, how would you suggest the cooking method? I’m not sure how many lbs you can cook at one time. It would be my first roast and I’d rather not mess up or underestimate lol. Thanks for any help!
Hi Laura! I would definitely double this recipe! xT
Hi! Do you sear the sides of your tenderloin before baking?
Hi Laura! I don’t usually sear both sides! xT
Did you sear the meat first stove top before placing in the oven?
I’m also curious about this! Did you end up searing?
This is my favorite Christmas Day recipe. This year, tenderloin is just too expensive unfortunately. Could I use black angus eye of round roast? If not, which other meat cut would you recommend.
Hey Erica! Yes you could absolutely use a chuck roast or round roast! xT
Thanks for your help! I got an eye of the round roast, would I change temp / cooking times? I’m not super familiar but want it to be just as great as it was with the tenderloin last year.
Hi There,
I’d love make this recipe for my family this Christmas. We’ll be 12 so I’m wondering if i could double the recipe with a 6 pound piece in my convention oven. Need i change the temperature in the convention oven? Thanks in advance!
Hi there! Yes, you could definitely double it! No need to change the temp, it should be just fine! xT
Hi Tieghan,
I stumbled on your website by chance a few years ago and absolutely love your recipes!! I wanted to ask about the timing of cooking this tenderloin for a dinner party… can it be made in advance? What’s the best way to do this so you’re not in the kitchen the whole time and can spend time with your guests? Thanks again!
Hey Nikita,
Thanks so much for trying so many recipes!! This is not something that I would make in advance, you could certainly prep the meat and the sauce and have everything ready to go, but you will want to roast this just before serving. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
If the “Recipe Rating” is showing 3 out of 5 stars where are the comments that give it a 3 or 4 star rating? I suspect those people had some issues or comments that would be helpful.
All your comments only show 5 star comments. It doesn’t seem right.
Hi there,
This recipe is from 2016, so if you would like to scroll back through the 7 years of comments to find those that rated this recipe with 3 or 4 stars, you are more than welcome to. If there is something specific that you need help with or have a question about, please let me know and I would be happy to do that! xx
I had to leave a review because I just can’t figure out why this recipe isn’t rated very highly! It’s one of the best dishes I’ve ever made and I cook a ton. I make it every Christmas Eve now because family members talk about it all year long. I made it for wealthy executives who were visiting my husband on business and they’ve raved about how it was better than meals in expensive restaurants, and even have a running joke in their company about who on the team gets to come for the next meeting to get this meal again, lol. Seriously, months later they still were commenting. Just make it, you won’t be disappointed! SO GOOD!
Thank you SO much for this kind comment Amanda!! xT
I forgot to rate this recipe…5 stars!!
Thanks again Mary:)
We made this for Easter dinner. A real treat. Will try it with tri-tip as another option just to have that sauce!!!
Hey Mary,
Happy Monday!!🌞 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
I can’t find beef tenderloin anywhere what other cut could I use? Tri tip is also very hard to find
Hi Brianna,
You could use prime prime or beef ribeye. Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Made this tonight with tri tip. It was delicious!!! We cooked a little longer because our kids like it more cooked. The sauce is amazing.
Hey Jenica,
Happy Monday!!💐 Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
This worked great-sauce is easy and fabulous!
Hey Christine,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was tasty and thanks a lot for trying it out! xT
Update: This meal was seriously so good. I couldn’t find a small enough tenderloin so I just got a pack of four smaller tenderloin cuts from Costco that was like 1.5 lbs and it was the perfect amount for a group of 3 adults. I preheated my skillet in the oven and seared the seasoned beef before adding the mushrooms. The little steaks only needed 15 mins to get to 145 degrees which was perfect. I ended up just getting holland house white cooking wine and it worked out just fine, although actual wine probably would’ve been even better. We just ate it with rolls and pomegranates and it felt like a five star restaurant meal
Hey Calleigh,
I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Can you use dry wine/cooking wine for this recipe? If so what brand would you use? It’s so hard to get actual wine in my state
Hey Calleigh,
Honestly, I’m really not familiar with cooking wines, I just use regular drinking wines, but I’m sure whatever your local grocery store carries should be just fine! Let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Hi Tieghan,
I am so thankful for you and your recipes- I love cooking and baking and I eat what my family would refer to as “weird” food.
With that, I’d like to make this for Christmas and I am the only person who likes mushrooms. It is enough of an issues that they wouldn’t eat any of it. What would you substitute? I was looking at artichokes, but I wanted to see what you thought!
Hi Amber,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes!! Tofu, zucchini, onions would all be great options in place of mushrooms! You might also like this recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/roasted-beef-tenderloin-with-french-onion-au-jus/
I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Love all of your recipes! Did you use a tied or untied tenderloin?