A Stay-at-Home Date Night Dinner
Pan-roasted beef tenderloin with cabernet sauce + blue cheese pasta
When in need of a fast and fancy meal, I continually turn to this recipe. It’s simple, quick, and so delectable! It is classy enough to double as a special Valentine’s Day meal for two or just a fancy Saturday night dinner at home.
It all starts with a good cut of beef tenderloin, simply seasoned with a little garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Then just sear the beef in a skillet full of butter (yum!) and drizzle with a sweet and savory cabernet sauce. Delicious, right?
I like to serve this beef with a quick blue cheese pasta. The combination of blue cheese and steak are definitely my go-to. The buttery meat when paired with blue cheese and pasta… I mean, does it really get any better than this?
Yeah, it’s fancy—but simple, too! I love how the flavor of the beef tenderloin really shines through and isn’t over-powered by a lot of different ingredients. The beef and pasta together is a simple and classic combo that is always well received. Trust me; this meal does not disappoint!
PAN-ROASTED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH CABERNET SAUCE + BLUE CHEESE PASTA
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2, with extra pasta
Cabernet Sauce:
- ½ cup cabernet
- ½ cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Beef Tenderloin:
- 2 (6-8 ounce) beef tenderloin filets
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- salt + pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Blue Cheese Pasta:
- 1 pound long cut pasta
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water
- 6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/3 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
To make the cabernet sauce, combine the cabernet, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, butter, and thyme sprigs in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by half.
Meanwhile, prepare the steak. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the beef tenderloin filets.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and once melted, add the steaks. Cook for 8-10 minutes per side or until the steaks are cooked to your liking. Allow the steak to rest 10 minutes before serving.
To make the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and add it back to the hot pot. Toss the pasta with the butter, ½ cup of the reserved pasta cooking, the sage, and blue cheese. Toss until a creamy sauce forms and then stir in the walnuts.
To serve, divide the pasta among plates. Add the steak and drizzle the steaks with the cabernet sauce. Enjoy!
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