Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce
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This beef tenderloin looks fancy, but it couldn’t be easier to make. It cooks up perfectly every time, and the rich red wine sauce takes it over the top. A total showstopper for any special dinner.
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!”
What You’ll Need To Make Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce
- 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!
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).
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.
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
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- ¾ cup finely chopped shallots, from 2 to 3 large shallots
- 1¼ cups red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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 (205°C).
- 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 to 125° (49°C to 52°C) for medium rare, about 15 minutes, or until done to your liking (115°F to 120°F/46°C to 49°C for rare, 130°F to 135°F/54°C to 57°C 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.
- 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.
- 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 (60 ml) 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.
- Carve the tenderloin into ½-inch (13-mm) thick slices. Serve the beef, passing the red wine sauce at the table.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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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I have made this recipe several times using a cheap Aldi Cabernet for the reduction and it is AMAZING. Tip: use the reduction like gravy on smoked Gouda mashed potatoes. It is heaven on Earth. I will make this recipe at least once a year until I die. It’s so dang good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
I made this last night (practicing for Thanksgiving!) and it turned out absolutely delicious! It was just two of us so I used a smaller roast (1.5 lbs.). It’ll be seven people for T-Day (six adults, one child). Do you have any recommendations for size of roast and any changes to the recipe to ensure we have enough beef/sauce? Thank you for this and all your recipes!
Glad you liked the trial run! I’d recommend a 4-pound tenderloin and, to be safe, I’d multiply the sauce by 1.5. Hope everyone enjoys!
Hi Jocelyn, I’m guessing you’ll need to increase the cook time by about minutes, but remember these times are just a guideline – I always suggest using a meat thermometer (preferably one with a remote probe like the one I use in the photos) to guarantee that the meat cooks to the right temperature. That way there’s no guesswork involved. Also, I’d multiply the sauce recipe by 1.5. Hope you enjoy!
Could I use a cast iron skillet to sear the tenderloin and transfer into the oven?
Sure, Melanie. That should work well.
I really love this concept, and want to try it at home! I don’t drink a lot of red wine, and was wondering if this sauce could be frozen in small quantities? I already freeze wine in ice cube trays to use for sauces, but was curious if the other ingredients in the sauce would hold up well in the freezer. Thank you.
Hi Paula, I think the sauce would freeze well, but I’d probably wait to whisk in the flour/butter paste until you reheat it. Hope that helps!
The sauce was okay. I don’t think it was great. It tasted a little bit sour. I used Zinfandel red wine. I’m not very familiar with wines, so I guess that variety of wine imparts too much acidity…?
The store I went to didn’t have a beef tenderloin roast, so I tried to substitute beef sirloin steaks tied together. 😅 This was a terrible idea. Don’t do what I did. The meat turned out WAY too tough
to eat.
If you have less acidic wine and very tender beef (maybe even add Adolph’s powder tenderizer?), then this recipe might have been pretty good.
You used a sweet wine, which isn’t a great pair for this dish. Try using a dry red with lots of flavor next time, like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Shiraz!!! Even if you don’t like them out of the bottle, they will taste amazing with this beef.
Why would you rate this recipe 2 stars when the mistake was on your side for using the wrong meat and wine?
Do not get this review…
This dish was absolutely amazing. It was elegant and delicious.
I put the 2.7 kg beef tenderloin on our Tregger after seasoning with a rub mixture and pan searing. I cooked at 350 degrees to an internal temp of approx 150 degrees (about 50 minutes). Was perfectly done to a rare which finished to medium rare upon resting for approx 20 minutes.
The wine sauce was the perfect compliment to the beef. Added an elegant finish to the dish.
Everyone raved about both the beef and sauce.
One guest even commented No one would ever be vegetarian after eating this delicious cut of meat” 🙂
Thank you for sharing your recipe and tips. I only wish there were leftovers.
I have tried many recipes for cooking Beef Tenderloin for company on the Holidays, and this recipe is the best one by far. The tenderloin was delicious and very easy to make. I recommend it to all my family and friends. I will be using this recipe only.
You have to try it.
My daughter and I made this for our Christmas dinner. We followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly!! It was a big hit among all of our guests. Thanks, Jenn, for another delicious recipe!! 💕
I made this recipe for Christmas 2018 and it was perfect. Will definitely make it again for a special occasion or holiday. So delicious!
Sorry Jenn, I wrote Jean in my last review. Guess I’m making that eye doctor appointment sooner than later.
Roast Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce – Absolutely the best recipe! Very easy to follow and had excellent raves about the dish. This was my first time ever cooking a tenderloin and I truly did not want to ruin such an expensive piece of meat. So happy I used this recipe and have since used it twice for large family gatherings. I did not make any changes; and I have enjoyed other recipes from Jean! This website is my go to whether I am entertaining or just want to try something new. Thank you Jean for your great recipes!
Made this for New Years awesome super easy,had left over wine sauce and froze it . Great with pork tenderloin .
Amazing recipe!!! I have tweaked the recipe by not adding the pan drippings into the sauce. The sauce was amazing without it and it was less oily without it. Thermometer in the meat while cooking and taking the meat out of the pan to rest is a foolproof method for perfect pink meat. You have made me a better and confident cook.
Amazing and delicious recipe! As noted in some other comments, if your sauce is still thin after 30 minutes, just keep simmering and whisking to let it reduce. We didn’t have to add more flour but just kept the simmering going for maybe an extra 20 minutes. Keep that in mind for timing. Our guests were really impressed with the flavors and the smells! Thank you
Would a cornstarch slurry work well to thicken or is the flour:butter paste better or are they interchangeable?
I prefer the flour/butter because of the flavor the butter contributes. I find that cornstarch slurries can mute the flavor of a sauce/broth.
Perfect! Cannot wait to make again.
We cooked our own home raised 100% grass-fed beef tenderloin. It was on the larger side, so it took much longer to cook, but so worth the wait!