Beef Tenderloin With Parmesan Cream Sauce

A whole beef tenderloin roast may be the most beautiful recipe you make all year!

Not joking, and definitely not an exaggeration. Cooking tenderloin is hands off (yes, you read that correctly!) and foolproof. The oven does all the hard work by slowly cooking the roast at a low temperature for a little over an hour. When finished, thinly slice and serve with our insanely flavorful homemade Parmesan cream sauce (though this gorgonzola cream sauce would be equally as amazing!)

There is nothing — we repeat nothing! — more elegant. Go ahead and show off to your friends and family for the holidays. We promise we won’t tell them how simple it really is!

If you’re looking for another holiday entrée, be sure to check out our Standing Rib Roast!

Ingredient Notes

This recipe has two main parts.

What you’ll need for the roast:

• A whole beef tenderloin, tied with kitchen twine (approximately 5 ½ lbs)
• Unsalted butter, melted
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

What you’ll need for the parmesan cream sauce:

• Heavy cream
• Garlic cloves
• Tarragon
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• Dijon mustard
• Chopped parsley
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

In addition to the parmesan cream sauce, we recommend serving the tenderloin with sautéed shiitake mushrooms. For that you’ll need butter, a shallot, and shiitake mushrooms. The mushrooms add a lovely earthiness to the dish that is beautiful when paired with the sliced filet!

How To Cook Beef Tenderloin

Low temperature in an oven! We cannot recommend this method enough. Tenderloin is approximately 1000x easier to make than a roast turkey, making it a serious contender for holiday entertaining, with practically no stress tied to it.

Allow meat to rest at room temperature for about 1 hour before you begin. You ready?!

First, have your butcher tie the beef tenderloin together with kitchen twine. They’ll make sure the “tail” of the meat (not actually the tail, just a thinner part of the tenderloin) is tucked neatly underneath and secured. Why does this matter? More even cooking. You wouldn’t want a portion of the filet (the thinner end) to cook before the other. This helps ensure a beautiful medium rare throughout.

Next, melt some butter. Place the roast on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet, then pour the melted butter on top. Season the tenderloin aggressively with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Filet has next to no fat, which is both a blessing and a curse. While it is tender for sure, the meat really needs to be seasoned generously to help amp up the flavor.

Pop the beef tenderloin roast into an oven preheated to 275 F. Now go pour yourself a glass of wine, the oven will take care of the rest!

Cook Time For Beef Tenderloin

A 5 ½ lb whole beef tenderloin will cook for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes at 275 F.

For medium rare, look for an internal temperature of 130 F. If it’s a little under, don’t worry — the beef will continue to cook and rise in temperature while it rests.

We recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!

Allow the whole beef tenderloin to rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.

How thick should you slice beef tenderloin?

While individually cut filet mignon steaks can be a hearty 1 ½” thick, a whole beef tenderloin can be cut into ¼ – ½” thick slices. A single serving is roughly 2 slices of tenderloin.

Whole Beef Tenderloin vs. Filet Mignon

Whole beef tenderloin is truly a showstopper. It’s just as easy (if not easier?!) then cooking and serving individual steaks.

Filet mignon are merely the steaks cut from the whole tenderloin. You can expect to get approximately 10-12 individually cut filet mignon (about 1 ½” thick) from a 5 ½ lb whole beef tenderloin.

For this recipe, however, we’re not cutting and cooking individually portioned steaks. The cooked beef tenderloin will be cut into slices about ¼ – ½” thick before serving.

Keep the sides easy: a perfect baked potato and either a simple spinach salad or roasted broccolini will do the trick!

Easy, luxurious, and completely attainable for home cooks. Make this once and you will never look back!

If you make this Beef Tenderloin recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below.

And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Well Seasoned recipes! DON’T FORGET to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #wellseasonedstudio !! We LOVE seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!

For more easy holiday dinners, check out the following:

• Roast rack of lamb
• Flanken ribs
• Slow baked salmon with herb shallot butter
• Skillet chicken with white beans
• Braised beef pappardelle

Print Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Beef Tenderloin Recipe with Parmesan Cream Sauce

When you're looking for easy elegance, there is nothing more special than a whole beef tenderloin. It's incredibly simple to cook (yes, really!) — even foolproof — and made more beautiful by a homemade Parmesan cream sauce. This showstopper is loved by all and is an easy option to feed a large crowd during the holidays.

Prep15 mins

Cook1 hr 15 mins

Resting Time10 mins

Total1 hr 40 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: filet of beef, Parmigiano Reggiano, roast beef

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 711kcal

Author: Ari Laing

Ingredients

For the beef tenderloin

• 5-6 lb whole beef tenderloin
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper plus more for serving
• Flaky sea salt for serving

For the parmesan cream sauce

• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
• 3-4 sprigs tarragon
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 2 Tbsp parsley finely chopped
• 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

For the sautéed mushrooms, optional

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 5 oz baby shiitake mushrooms stems removed
• 1 medium shallot minced
• ½ tsp kosher salt

Instructions

Cook the tenderloin

• Allow beef tenderloin to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Preheat oven to 275F then line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment.
• Place tenderloin on prepared baking sheet. Melt 4 Tbsp butter, then pour on top of tenderloin. Season on all sides with 2 Tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Cook, undisturbed, in preheated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until internal temperature of 130 F is reached (for medium rare). Begin checking temperature at 1 hour. To do this, place meat thermometer into end of tenderloin, inserting into the thickest part of the beef. Note that the temperature will continue to rise a bit as it rests.

Sautéed shiitake mushrooms (optional)

• Heat 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and cook undisturbed until browned and crispy, about 2-3 minuted per side. Add minced shallot, then season with ½ tsp kosher salt. Transfer to a bowl and set aside while you make the cream sauce.

Make the parmesan cream sauce

• Place 3 cups heavy cream in a large sauce pan, then add smashed garlic cloves and 3-4 sprigs tarragon. Bring to a boil, then reduce until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Cream will eventually bubble up, so make sure your pan is not too small. Use a slotted spoon to remove garlic and tarragon, then discard.
• Add 2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, 1 ½ tsp Dijon, ½ tsp kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper, then stir to combine.

To serve

• When ready to serve, slice tenderloin into pieces ¼" – ½" thick. Plate, then serve with parmesan cream sauce spooned on top (or on the side) along with sautéed mushrooms and shallots. Sprinkle the steak with flaky sea salt and black pepper just before serving.

Notes

• Cooked beef tenderloin will last up to 5 days in a refrigerator. Store parmesan cream sauce separately.
• Nutrition facts assume all of parmesan cream sauce will be consumed, but you will very likely have leftovers. Take that into account if looking at nutrition facts.

Nutrition

Calories: 711kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 201mg | Sodium: 1463mg | Potassium: 613mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 798IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 5mg

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