My Go To Easy Beef Tenderloin Recipe | OMG Lifestyle Blog (2024)

When life is hectic and I don’t have time to prepare a more complicated dinner party menu, my go-to meal is my easy beef tenderloin recipe. This recipe is fail proof and best of all, it doesn’t take long to cook. Later in the post I share my favorite kitchen gadget which helps me to prepare the perfect beef tenderloin each and every time.

I usually just put the tenderloin in oven after all of our guests have arrived. By the time we are finished with co*cktails and hors d’oeuvres, the roast is ready to serve.

Impromptu Dinner Party

The other day I had some dear friends visiting from South Carolina. We decided to cook at home instead of going out. The four of us plus another couple had a lot of catching up to do and a long relaxing evening at our dining room table was in order.

Serving beef tenderloin was not only festive for the holidays but also easy for me to prepare on a work night. I haven’t entertained much since I broke my wrist in the Spring so this menu was easy for me to pull together.

To lessen my work load as I eased back in to entertaining, my friend Ruthie brought roasted vegetables and a wonderful salad. I also servedbaked potatoes with butter, sour cream and sliced green onions on the side. This was an All American Meat & Potatoes Dinner Party.

Bless my girlfriends as they did all the clean up for me. I kept it casual and set the table with everyday dishes and stemless wine glasses so that everything could go in the dishwasher.

Bookmark this recipe as you will make it often once you see how easy it is.

My Easy Beef Tenderloin Recipe

When buying a whole tenderloin for a dinner party, I prefer to buy the already trimmed version at Costco. If buying at your local grocery store, you can also have your butcher trim the tenderloin for you.

Tenderloin Prep

Items needed to prepare tenderloin:

Roasting the Tenderloin

Cook the roast at 500 degrees for the first ten minutes. By starting the roast at a high temperature, it sears the meat. Be sure to set a timer so you don’t forget the next step!

After the initial ten minutes, drop the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to cook until the thermometer reaches your desired temperature. We like to take it out at 125 degrees for medium rare.

Once the tenderloin has reached your desired temperature, let it sit for a minimum of 15 minutes. Tent it loosely with aluminum foil to keep it warm. It needs to rest so that the juices remain in the meat and not on the cutting board. It’s best to cut the roast on a cutting board that has grooves to collect any juices.

It’s the perfect entrée, allowing you and your guests time for co*cktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Beef Tenderloin cooked to internal temperature of 125 degrees

Key to the Perfect Roast

What makes this recipe fail proof as I mentioned earlier? My all in one meat thermometer and timer is my key to the perfect roast! I’d be lost without this reliable kitchen gadget. The thermometer has a heat proof probe that you stick in the thickest part of the roast.

The cord attached to the probe is long enough to extend outside of the oven where it plugs into the timer. Set the timer to the internal temperature you prefer. Make sure the sound is turned on so that you can hear the alarm. The timer will beep when its time to take it out of the oven.

Easy Two-Ingredient Horseradish Sauce

Horseradish sauce compliments beef tenderloin and this recipehas been a favorite of ours for years. It is so easy!

My horseradish sauce consists of only two ingredients. That’s it. Reddi Wip Whipped Cream in a can and pure horseradish from a jar. Both items can be found in the dairy section at your local grocery store.

Mix the two together and you end up with a creamy sauce with a kick!

Homemade Horseradish Sauce Recipe

Fill your bowl with the whipped cream. Add horseradish to taste. Start off with a couple of tablespoons. Stir it in and taste before adding more. We like it spicy so I tend to use more horseradish than most would. It all depends on personal preference.

Next Wednesday I will post about My Casual yet Festive Holiday Table Setting.

What’s your favorite go to dinner party menu?

FAQs

Which cooking method is best for beef tenderloin? ›

One of the easiest methods of cooking Beef Tenderloin is in the oven. With minimal prep and our easy-to-follow guidelines, you'll present a juicy and tasty roast to guests in no time. For best results, make sure the Tenderloin roast is completely thawed.

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Is it better to roast a beef tenderloin at a high or low temperature? ›

Low-heat roasting— 225°F to 300°F, or 200°F to 275°F in a convection oven—will produce a roast with rosy interior that's evenly cooked all the way through, but you won't get much in the way of a well-seared crust.

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Do you sear beef tenderloin first or last? ›

Well, traditional recipes for tenderloin (and most steaks and roasts) call for first searing the meat at a high temperature, then finishing it off at a relatively low temperature.

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Should you season beef tenderloin overnight? ›

Let your beef sit, uncovered and salted, in the fridge for at least a few hours, or up to overnight. This dries out the outside which allows for a really nice sear. Let your beef come to room temperature before cooking. This also helps ensure a more even cook.

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Should beef tenderloin be cooked covered or uncovered? ›

Bake uncovered 40 to 50 minutes or until thermometer reads at least 140°F. Cover beef with tent of aluminum foil and let stand about 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 145°F. (Temperature will continue to rise about 5°, and beef will be easier to carve.)

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Which of the following cooking methods is best for tenderloin? ›

Accepted methods for cooking beef tenderloin

The food web and a great many cookbooks (very many of them highly reputable) recommend blasting a tenderloin in a hot oven, 450–500°F (232–260°C), for a relatively short time to cook it, followed by a counter rest.

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What factors should be considered when roasting a beef tenderloin in the oven? ›

Roasting in a low 120°C/250°F oven is the key here which actually doesn't take that long (just 40 minutes). This yields exceptional results with evenly cooked beef from edge to edge (no thick overcooked band you get from higher temps) makes this recipe shockingly straightforward and virtually risk-free.

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Are filet mignon and beef tenderloin the same? ›

To sum up: Filet mignon is part of a beef tenderloin, but a beef tenderloin is not a filet mignon. Instead, it houses the filet mignon, which comes from the end portion of the tenderloin. The rest of the tenderloin can create other steak cuts or a delicious tenderloin roast to feed the family.

Do you wash beef tenderloin before cooking? ›

Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.

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Should I tie my beef tenderloin before cooking? ›

Not Tying. If you are cooking a whole tenderloin, the inconsistent shape can result in uneven cooking. This is why it's best to tie the cut before you cook it. A whole beef tenderloin has a thin tapered end and a thicker end.

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Do you need to trim beef tenderloin before cooking? ›

Either way, it's important to trim off the chain, which is the thin, fatty section that lies along side of the tenderloin. While smaller, this section contains substantial meat and is perfect for stews, soups or stir-fries as we mentioned earlier.

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What is the best temperature to cook a beef tenderloin? ›

For roasts that are 2 to 3 pounds, roast at 425°F for 35 to 40 minutes for medium rare (135°F) and 45 to 50 minutes for medium (150°F) doneness. For roasts weighing 4 to 5 pounds, roast at 425°F for 50 to 60 minutes for medium rare (135°F) and 60 to 70 minutes for medium (150°F).

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Should I leave beef tenderloin uncovered in the fridge? ›

Finally, to give your tenderloin a nice crust on the outside you can leave it uncovered in the fridge for as long as you'd like up to one day. I would recommend 2-12 hours. This will dry the surface of the meat and will give it that crispy browned crust when seared.

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Should I bake or broil a tenderloin? ›

A beef tenderloin is an excellent choice for the broiler, just like filet mignon. You can add some olive oil and your choice of spices to the meat before broiling to allow it to get a crispy sear in the oven.

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Should I use convection roast for beef tenderloin? ›

You can cook this cut on the grill or under a broiler for a juicy steak, but you could also use the convection oven. Cooking beef tenderloin in a convection oven is similar to cooking in a conventional oven, except that the tenderloin will cook faster because a convection oven's fan circulates the heat evenly.

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How do you cook a tender meat item such as beef tenderloin? ›

Slice the beef tenderloin into desired portions and add it a large sauté or roasting pan or with about 1 cup of beef stock, covered in foil and cooked in the oven at 400° for 10 to 12 minutes. Reheating your steak will 100% cause it to increase in internal temperature most likely past medium and into medium-well.