Grilled Beef Tenderloin Filets with Chimichurri Sauce
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hi Jenn,
I want to make this steak on the stove top instead. In that case, do I skip the rub or just cut back on it a bit? Either way I’m going to make the sauce which I know will be flavorful but wanted to see if the rub will be good if I have to pan sear the steak. Thanks!
I think you can use the same amount of rub — I’d just add more oil to the pan to keep them from burning. Hope you enjoy!
Dear Jenn,
Can you use a different vinegar? I already have bottles of red wine, rice, apple cider, balsamic and white vinegars. Thanks. Love your site.
Hi Barbara, red wine vinegar is perfectly fine to use. Enjoy!
Would you change anything about the rub or sauce if you were doing this with boneless, skinless chicken breast?
Hi Tamara, I think both the rub and the sauce can remain the same. Hope Please LMK how it turns out with chicken!
This was very good with chicken breast! 🙂 Thanks for your reply.
So glad to hear it — thanks for reporting back!
Jenn- I’ve had chimichurri sauce dining out but it wasn’t anywhere near this delicious! I used flank steak because that’s what was available and it turned out great. Paired with the big Italian salad. Yum! Can’t wait for your new cookbook!
Question- would the sauce freeze okay if I wanted to make a batch to use for later? Kind of like how people batch freeze pesto.
Hi Adrienne, I’ve never frozen the sauce, but I do think it would freeze nicely. 🙂
Absolutely fabulous!!
Hi Jenn,
I would love to make this on my husband’s 65th Birthday. My question is how would you steam the parsley, cilantro, and mint? What goes with it from appetizers to desserts. I only cook your recipes at home 100 percent and I love all of them. You could never go wrong with your recipes. I can’t wait for the release of your second book. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Rose 🌹
Hi Rose, Thanks for your nice words about the recipes — so glad you like them! I’m not sure what you mean by steaming the parsley, cilantro, and mint. Did you mean stem? If so this article provides some guidance. In terms of things to pair the dish with, any of my corn recipes would work nicely as would this Southwestern Quinoa Salad. For an appetizer, anything really goes here; a couple things that come to mind are this Black Bean Dip or Salsa. Similar to appetizers, I think anything goes, but if you want to take advantage of summer produce, you could prepare any of these. Hope that helps and that your husband has a great birthday! 🙂
This recipe is my go-to entertaining meal. It is always a hit with our guests and often requested in advance!! The rub is really good. The chimichurri is scrumptious and great paired with so many different types of protein including steak, pork chops, and grilled chicken. Thank you for sharing your amazing expertise and recipes!!
Chimichurri, what’s not to love? It’s even fun to say. This recipe is perfect for summertime grilling and works well on lamb or chicken too. I tend to add a bit more garlic and red pepper flakes to give it a kick. It goes really well with my “gazpacho salad” which is basically a non-pureed gazpacho, and like chimichurri it celebrates the bounty of the summer harvest.
Jenn, My family loves your recipes! Could I make these into skewers? If so, how long can I marinate the cubed filets and how long should I grill them? Many thanks!
Hi Tululeh, You could make this on skewers. You could be the rub on the night before (and I’d estimate they’d take about 2 minutes per side). Hope you enjoy!
Honestly ALL of your recipes that I have tried have been superb! I am not a great cook but you are making me look so much better with my family! THANK YOU. This was delicious!