Description
Tender beef tenderloin butterflied and stuffed with a savory mixture of sautéed mushrooms, spinach, Parmesan and cream cheese, then seared and roasted to perfection.
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- 1 (4- to 5-lb) whole center-cut beef tenderloin, trimmed
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, for searing and roasting
For the Filling:
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 5 oz baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
Friendly Substitution Notes:
- No cremini mushrooms? Regular white ones work fine
- Shallot missing? Use half a small onion instead
- Frozen spinach is okay – just squeeze out every drop of water first
- Any hard cheese works instead of Parmesan
Instructions
Crank it to 425°F. Hot oven gives us that gorgeous crust.
Lay the tenderloin on your cutting board. Take your sharpest knife and slice lengthwise down the middle, but only about three-quarters through. You want a pocket, not two pieces. Go slow – no rushing this part.
Melt butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Toss in mushrooms and cook until they release their water and start browning – about 6 minutes. Add chopped shallot, cook 2 more minutes until soft. Garlic goes in last for 30 seconds max.
Pile in the spinach and stir until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, then take off heat. Let it cool while you prep the cheese mixture.
Mix the cooled mushroom-spinach stuff with both cheeses in a bowl. Taste it – should be well-seasoned and creamy. This is your filling, and it better taste good on its own.
Spoon filling into the pocket, spreading evenly but don’t overstuff. Tie with kitchen twine every couple inches. The twine keeps everything together while cooking.
Heat olive oil in your oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Season the outside of your tied tenderloin with salt and pepper. Brown it on all sides – takes about 2-3 minutes per side. This step locks in flavor.
Straight into the oven goes the whole skillet. Roast 25-35 minutes until your thermometer reads 125-130°F for medium-rare. Check early – you can always cook more, but can’t undo overcooked beef.
Pull from oven and tent with foil. Rest 10-15 minutes minimum. All those juices need time to settle back into the meat. Skip this and you’ll have dry beef with all the flavor on your cutting board.
Notes
Room temperature meat is happy meat. Cold tenderloin straight from the fridge will cook unevenly no matter what you do.
Don’t tie the twine too tight – meat expands as it cooks. Snug but not strangling.
Make extra filling and serve it as a side. People always want more of the good stuff.
Your thermometer should go into the thickest part of the meat, not the filling, for accurate reading.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Sear and Roast
- Cuisine: American