Grilled Beef Tenderloin Filets with Chimichurri Sauce
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Bring the bold flavors of Argentina to your table tonight with this easy spice-rubbed beef tenderloin with chimichurri sauce—it’s impressive yet ready in just 30 minutes!
If you’re in the mood for a taste of Argentina tonight—and doesn’t that just sound perfect?—you’ll absolutely love this dish featuring spice-rubbed grilled beef tenderloin filets topped with chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is a vibrant green sauce that combines fresh herbs, olive oil, vinegar, and garlic—think of it as a cross between vinaigrette and pesto. For this version, I’ve chosen a fragrant mix of parsley, mint, and cilantro.
This recipe is wonderfully quick and easy. In about 30 minutes, you can have the whole meal ready to serve. As for the sides, I like to keep things simple with greens, corn on the cob (or a make-ahead corn salad), and some warm bread. But if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, try my black bean salad with corn, red pepper and avocado—it’s a crowd-pleaser!”
“This recipe is my go-to entertaining meal. It is always a hit with our guests and often requested in advance!”
What You’ll Need To Make Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Chimichurri
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the spice rub. Combine the paprika, cumin, ground mustard, kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Mix until evenly combined.
Make the sauce. In a blender, combine the shallot, garlic, olive oil, sherry wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and some of the herbs.
Blend and add the remaining herbs in two separate additions until the sauce is almost smooth. Cover the sauce and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When you’re ready to eat, drizzle the filets with olive oil and sprinkle generously with the spice rub.
Pat it down with your fingers so it sticks — it will be a thick coating. Grill the steaks over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
Serve the steaks with chimichurri sauce.
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Grilled Beef Tenderloin Filets with Chimichurri Sauce
Bring the bold flavors of Argentina to your table tonight with this easy spice-rubbed beef tenderloin with chimichurri sauce—it’s impressive yet ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
For the Spice Rub
- 1½ tablespoons paprika
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons ground mustard (also called dry mustard)
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
For the Chimichurri Sauce
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 2 small garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1½ cups stemmed fresh parsley
- 1 cup stemmed fresh cilantro
- ½ cup stemmed fresh mint
For the Beef
- 4 (6-8 ounce) beef tenderloin filets (about 1-inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
For the Spice Rub
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well combined.
For the Chimichurri Sauce
- Combine the olive oil, wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic cloves, shallot, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and a third of the herbs in a blender; blend until almost smooth. Add the remaining herbs in two separate additions, puréeing until almost smooth after each addition. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
For the Beef
- Remove the tenderloin filets from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to high (about 600 degrees).
- Drizzle the filets with the olive oil and rub until evenly coated. Sprinkle the spice rub all over the filets and pat down with your hands so it sticks (the coating will be thick).
- Clean and oil the cooking grate. Place the filets on the grill and cook, covered, about 4 minutes, or until nicely browned and charred on the first side. Flip the steaks and cook 3-4 minutes more for medium-rare. Transfer to a platter, tent with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve the filets with chimichurri sauce on the side.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 702
- Fat: 59 g
- Saturated fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Sodium: 622 mg
- Cholesterol: 145 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Thanks for publishing this awesome recipe! It’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. Made it yesterday and my family simply loved it. As always, the quality of meat is important and also the temperature is key :-). Thanks again :-))…
Do you think you could use basil instead of cilantro? I am not a fan of Cilantro.
Hi Donna, Yes, that would work absolutely fine.
This chimichurri recipe is wonderful — I have made it with beef tenderloin but also use it with fish and chicken regularly!
how do you think this recipe would work on Venison Backstraps?
Hi Tommy, I think it would work well! If you try it, please come back and let me know how it turns out.
Jenn,
I made it last night and the rub was perfect for the venison backstrap. I bbq the backstrap whole and sliced it thin to serve. I don’t know what i did wrong with the Chimichurri sauce but all it tasted like was garlic. i followed your recipe exactly. Next time i make it i will cut the garlic to about 1/10th of what i used.
Glad it worked out, Tommy. That’s strange about the garlic…there’s very little in the recipe (only 2 small cloves). You must have had some freakishly strong garlic! Or, if you’re sensitive to raw garlic, you could always cook it first to mellow it out.
Would definitely recommend this recipe. It’s relatively quick and simple, and you can pan-fry the steak if you don’t have a grill.
I tried this recipe over the summer and loved it! I love a good steak and the flavor of this one is exceptional. Wouldn’t change a thing. I served it with the roasted cauliflower (also your recipe) and colorful green salad. It was a great hit!
Grilled Spice-Rubbed Beef Tenderloin Filets with Chimichurri was fantastic! I wouldn’t change a thing. I had leftover chimichurri sauce and ate it with raw veggies. The spice rub will be used for now own on our grilled meats…just love it. Thank you!
Hi! What type of paprika do you recommend for this recipe? There seem to be many types available. In my pantry, I have “Smoked Spanish Paprika” by Safinter. Should I use that or get something else?
Hi Cindy, I would use regular paprika. Smoked paprika is delicious but has a very strong smoky flavor, which would really change the dish. Might be good, but a bit overpowering.
I’m wondering how ground coriander would play out instead of cumin. I feel like the cumin would be just a bit too strong to mesh well with the chimicurri.
???
Hi Karen, Coriander would work, but I wouldn’t leave the cumin out entirely…could you use a combination? The chimichurri is pretty bold and can stand up to the flavor.
Made this for a 4th of July party and everyone loved it. The sauce is a great compliment to the spice rub.