Balsamic Dijon Crusted Beef Tenderloin

Looking for the perfect special occasion dinner? This balsamic dijon beef tenderloin roast is both simple and impressive. Served with a Meyer lemon gremolata, it’s great as a holiday dish too!

This beef tenderloin roast took 5 different stores and a heck of a lot of frustration to procure.

Apparently, you can buy beef tenderloin in cute little 1 pound or less steaks (which is basically filet mignon) or, you can buy about 9 pounds of it in roast form (9 pounds x an average of $15.99/lb, you can quickly do that math and figure out why I didn’t give up and just buy the huge roast) but, you cannot easily find a 2-3 pound roast for say, a normal 4 serving dinner.

I might’ve let out an audible “finally!” in the meat department when I found this.

Luckily, it was 8:45pm and the place was about to close so not too many people got to witness the crazy.

So, Valentine’s Day…

I can’t even remember the last time we actually did something for it since someone always seems to be working or traveling somewhere.

This year will be no different as Ulysses is working and I’ll likely be spending it visiting my brand new niece but it made eating this beautiful balsamic dijon beef tenderloin roast a week early seem ok.

If you’re someone who likes steak medium or more well done, this isn’t the recipe for you.

Don’t bother wasting your money (because this meal isn’t necessarily cheap, although cheaper than ordering it at a restaurant for sure) on this cut of meat and go cook a flank steak or something to death instead.

I feel the same about pan seared duck breast and venison backstrap, cook it medium rare or just don’t cook it at all!

If you’re someone, however, who gets giddy at the sight of that perfectly still almost bleeding red color and opening that 20 year aged balsamic vinegar that’s been hiding in the cabinet since your trip to Italy 2 years ago…

THIS is what you need to make for Valentine’s Day.

It’s beyond simple (a beef tenderloin roast that cooks for less than 30 minutes, say whaaaa??) and there’s literally nothing in the world that goes better with this meal than a glass of dark, chewy red wine.

Rare steak + red wine…both aphrodisiacs.

Just sayin’.

While this recipe cooks entirely in the oven, you could always switch up the method and try a reverse sear with this recipe. It would also work great and ensures an evenly cooked roast every time.

The crust is mustardy and sweet from the balsamic (seriously, buy some good stuff for this recipe) and salty while the Meyer lemon gremolata makes every bite pop with freshness.

It’s basically like my dream bite of flavors all on one forkful.

Looking for other Valentine’s Day dinner ideas?
Pistachio Crusted Lamb Chops with Red Wine Cherries
Citrus Braised Lamb Shanks with Green Harissa
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Stuffed Flank Steak

Balsamic Dijon Beef Tenderloin

Author: Gina Matsoukas

Looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner? This balsamic dijon crusted beef tenderloin roast is both simple and impressive. Served with a Meyer lemon gremolata, it’s the perfect holiday dish.

4.2 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Beef Tenderloin

• 2.5 pound beef tenderloin roast
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons grainy dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

For the Lemon Gremolata

• 3/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
• zest of 2 Meyer lemons
• 1 small clove garlic minced

Instructions

 

For the Beef Tenderloin

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil.
• Tie roast in 3-4 places with kitchen string/twine.
• Place roast on baking sheet and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Mix mustard and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and spread all over the top of the roast.
• Place roast in the oven for 25 minutes for a rare to medium rare steak.
• Remove from oven, cover with tin foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
• Serve with gremolata.

Gremolata

• Combine the parsley, basil, lemon zest and garlic in a small bowl and mix together.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1SERVING | Calories: 950kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 69g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 241mg | Sodium: 553mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Cuisine American

Course Main Dishes

Keyword balsamic dijon beef tenderloin, balsamic dijon crusted beef tenderloin

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Gina Matsoukas

About

Gina Matsoukas is the writer, founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients as much as possible. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.