Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

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Impress your guests with this easy yet elegant beef tenderloin recipe. Cooked to perfection and paired with a rich red wine sauce, it’s a foolproof dish that’s sure to steal the spotlight at any special meal.

Platter of roast beef tenderloin with red wine sauce over green beans.

This beef tenderloin recipe is my #1 go-to for holidays and special occasions. It never fails to impress, and my foolproof method ensures perfectly cooked beef every time, with no guesswork! The tenderloin is paired with a red wine reduction sauce—made by simmering wine, broth, and aromatics until the flavors concentrate, then finished with butter for a silky, gorgeous sauce that rivals anything you’d order at a fine restaurant—yes, it’s fancy!

A great bonus is that the sauce can be prepared mostly in advance, so there’s very little fussing at the last minute. Similar to my pork tenderloin, this recipe is truly the best of both worlds: simple to prepare yet incredibly delicious.

“Voted best Christmas dinner ever!”

Theresa

What You’ll Need To Make Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

beef tenderloin ingredients
  • Beef tenderloin: The most tender and expensive cut of beef, this is the whole piece before it’s sliced into steaks, which are known as filet mignon (great for recipes like steak au poivre or pan-seared steaks). As a general rule, plan for about ½ pound per person for a generous serving. Your tenderloin may be tied with butcher’s twine near the tapered end to keep it evenly thick; leave the string on until after it is cooked. If it’s not tied, no worries—no tying is necessary.
  • Butter: A portion is used for sautéing shallots, while the rest is combined with flour to create a beurre manié, which thickens the sauce.
  • Shallots: Adds a mild onion flavor to the sauce.
  • Red wine: Adds rich, fruity flavors and depth of color to the sauce. Any variety, such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, or Red Zinfandel, will work. When cooking with wine, choose an inexpensive bottle that’s still enjoyable to drink. Avoid supermarket “cooking wines,” which often contain salt and additives.
  • Beef broth: Provides a savory base for the sauce; also used to deglaze the pan after roasting the beef.
  • Thyme sprigs: Adds earthy, aromatic flavor to the sauce.
  • All-purpose flour: Mixed with butter to create a beurre manié, a thickening agent for the sauce.
  • Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the Sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the shallots over medium-low heat until soft. Add the wine, broth, thyme, salt, pepper, and sugar, then bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes until reduced by half. In a small bowl, mix a few more tablespoons butter with flour to form a paste. Gradually whisk the paste into the sauce and simmer until thickened. The sauce can be made a few days ahead up to this point.

Sear & Roast the Beef Tenderloin: Season the beef with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Don’t be shy with the seasoning; it needs a lot!

beef tenderloin seasoned with kosher salt and pepper

Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Cook until well browned with a nice crust on all but one side. Turn the tenderloin so that the un-seared side is down and transfer the skillet directly to a 400°F oven. I recommend using a leave-in meat thermometer with a remote monitor to keep an eye on the roast. These are ideal for cooking pricey cuts like tenderloin (they’re great for other dishes too, like turkey).

beef tenderloin with leave-in thermometer ready to roast in the oven

Roast until cooked to your liking, keeping in mind that the the internal temperature will continue to rise 5 to 10 degrees after being removed from the oven—this is known as carryover cooking.

Rare: 115°F-120°F
Medium Rare: 120°F-125°F
Medium: 130°F-135°F

Medium-Well: 140°F-145°F
Well Done: 150°F and above

Finish the Sauce and Carve the Beef: Set the pan on the stovetop, add the broth, and bring to a boil, deglazing by scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add this flavorful broth to the wine sauce and bring it to a simmer.

scraping the brown bits from the roasting pan

Carve the roast into slices and serve, passing the red wine sauce at the table. The tenderloin is wonderful served over mashed potatoes with a simple vegetable, like French green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts.

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Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

Wow your guests with ease! My roasted beef tenderloin paired with a rich red wine sauce is simple, sophisticated, and foolproof.

Servings: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes, plus 1 hour to bring the meat to room temperature

Ingredients

For the Sauce

  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • ¾ cup finely chopped shallots, from 2-3 large shallots
  • 1¼ cups red wine
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 6 fresh thyme sprigs
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Beef

  • 1 (2 to 3 lb) center-cut beef tenderloin roast
  • Kosher salt (½ teaspoon per pound of beef)
  • Freshly ground black pepper (¼ teaspoon per pound of beef)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup beef broth

Instructions

For the Sauce

  1. Melt 5 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, thyme sprigs, salt, pepper and sugar, and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by about half.
  2. While the liquid is reducing, place the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and soften in the microwave, if necessary (it should be soft but not melted). Add the flour and, using a small spoon, mix into a smooth paste.
  3. Once the wine mixture is reduced, reduce the heat to low and remove the thyme sprigs. Whisk the flour-butter paste, a tablespoon at a time, into the simmering liquid, and simmer for a few minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Set aside. (The sauce can be made up to this point and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead of time.)

For the Tenderloin

  1. Let the beef stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting. Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F.
  2. Season the beef all over with kosher salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Cook, turning with tongs, until well browned on all but one side, about 10 minutes total. Turn the tenderloin so that the un-seared side is down, and transfer the skillet directly to the preheated oven. (If your pan isn't oven-proof, transfer the beef to a lightly oiled roasting pan.) Roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 120°F-125° for medium rare, about 15 minutes, or until done to your liking (115°F-120°F for rare, 130°F-135°F for medium). Keep in mind that these temperatures account for the fact that the temperature will continue to rise about 5 degrees while the meat rests.
  3. Transfer the meat to a carving board (preferably with a well for collecting juices) and let it rest, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for 10 to 15 minutes. Place a dishtowel or oven mitt over the handle of the roasting pan to remind yourself that it's hot.
  4. Meanwhile, carefully discard the fat from the roasting pan (remember that the handle is hot!). Set the pan on the stovetop and add the ¼ cup of broth. Bring the broth to a boil and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the fond, or brown bits, from the bottom of the pan. Add the flavorful broth to the red wine sauce, and then bring the sauce to a simmer.
  5. Carve the tenderloin into ½-inch-thick slices. Serve the beef, passing the red wine sauce at the table.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 1,001
  • Fat: 61 g
  • Saturated fat: 26 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9 g
  • Sugar: 3 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 49 g
  • Sodium: 1093 mg
  • Cholesterol: 233 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • I just made this for Christmas dinner and it was absolutely fantastic. I paired it with your brussel sprouts and some garlic skin on smashed potatoes and we were all in heaven – kids and adults alike! My mom – who taught me to cook – has been gone 6 years and I miss her especially so at the holidays. This made her proud 🙂

    • — Heather Humikowski
    • Reply
  • This recipe is not easy. I have no idea what it is supposed to taste like because despite my best efforts The sauce did not come out the way it was supposed to and I over cooked the beef after checking it every 15-20 min trying to get the internal temperature to meet the instructions.

    • I’m so sorry you had trouble with it, Dawn.

  • Jenn,
    Perfect beef tenderloin Christmas Eve thanks to you….
    Thank you sooo much!!!

  • Hi! I just made the red wine sauce tonight and it didn’t thicken enough. Do you have any suggestions? Also, I am making the au gratin potatoes tomorrow. Can I cook those before the beef tenderloin since the beef cooks at such a high temperature?

    • Hi Justina, I’d make more of the flour/butter paste and add it little by little until thickened to your liking. Hope that helps!

  • Hi! have a 8 lb whole tenderloin, I am planning on wrapping the end And tying it up to ensure even cooking throughout at medium rare. Any other thoughts? Thank you for the recipe, I am making the sauce today for use tomorrow. Merry Christmas!

    • I think that’s a good plan, Suzanne. You should be good to go!

  • Can you use this recipe for a beef ribs choice roast?

    • Hi Brandy, I do think that’d work. I’d love to know how it turns out!

  • Outstanding! The tenderloin is pretty much the way we’ve always prepared it, but the sauce was delicious. A decent bottle of red wine makes all the difference. Our guests devoured everything. Thanks!

  • Hi Jen,
    I am trying your tenderloin recipe for the first time tomorrow. I’m nervous because I don’t usually cook holiday dinners ,my sister does. She and her husband will be joining us and I want them to enjoy dinner. My butcher told me I need a whole tenderloin. It is over 7lbs! It is way too big to sear in any pan I have. What do you recommend I do? I thought about cutting it in half but not sure if that will mess up the way it is tied. Should I sear it on the grill? Help!

    • Hi Bonnie, Do you have a stove-top safe roasting pan? Many roasting pans can be placed right over the burners. If not, searing on the grill will work!

    • Thank you. I will check the roasting pan I have and see. Merry Christmas!

  • Hi Jenn! I made the sauce ahead today for Christmas dinner and am feeling like it separated a little bit. There is a noticeable layer of fat/butter at the top of the container. I doubled the recipe and followed the directions…the only thing I did differently was that I added the butter and flour mixture all at once (oops). Would this cause a problem? Any recommendations? Thanks!!

    • Hi Shannon, Hmmm…it’s hard to say without seeing it. Did it thicken? Adding the butter and flour mixture could cause a problem, as adding it slowly helps ensure a stable emulsion. I might try heating it up and stirring with a whisk to see if it comes back together. Let me know if that works. (Also feel free to send me a photo at jennifer@onceuponachef.com)

  • This looks delicious and I’d like to make it for Christmas dinner. My only concern is that the searing and roasting will cause a lot of smoke in my kitchen (I have sensitive smoke detectors). Is this a valid concern or should it not be an issue? Thank you!

    • Hi Pamela, I’ve never had an issue with smoke making this dish – just be sure to turn the fan on.

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