Stuffed Beef Tenderloin - Easy, Elegant, & Low Carb

Last night both of my sons came for Sunday dinner. I made Stuffed Beef Tenderloin. It turned out unbelievably good. The meat was fork tender. I stuffed it with a mixture of spinach, green onions, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmigiano Reggiano. The tenderloin I prepared was 4 pounds. I know tenderloin is a pricey piece of meat but for special occasions it really isn't as pricey as you might think. The price of my tenderloin at Costco was $67, but when I picked it up a week ago they had a special for $10 off of all of their trimmed beef tenderloins, regardless of their size (trust me, you want to buy a "trimmed" tenderloin). I chose a smaller 4-lb loin so it cost me $57 after the discount. I know that is still a lot for a piece of meat but when you take into account that we got 8 very generous servings from this single piece of meat, that brings the actual price per serving to a little over $7.00 per person for filet mignon! How often have we all spent that much money (or more) at some fast food place for something subpar to eat without batting an eye? To go along with last night's meal, I made the guys oven roasted red skinned potatoes and buttered organic carrots. I also baked a batch of my delicious Parmesan Biscuits. It was a delicious and beautiful meal. I snapped a few photos below and included the recipe below as well. Enjoy!

I purchased an already trimmed tenderloin at Costco

A pocket is sliced lengthwise to place spinach stuffing (careful not to slice through other side)

Tenderloin is closed and tied closed with kitchen twine and placed on a rack in roasting pan

Parmesan biscuits fresh out of oven, carrots cooking on stove top, potatoes roasting in oven and tenderloin waiting to be added to the oven

Dinner in progress...red skinned potatoes roasting in the oven for the guys

Stuffed Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1 4-pound trimmed beef tenderloin, patted dry with paper towels
Sea salt and black pepper
1 pound lightly cooked fresh baby spinach, well drained and chopped
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green spring onions (about 8), sliced
3 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
3 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (or regular Parmesan cheese)
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a rack in the bottom of a large shallow roasting pan and set aside.

Place tenderloin on a large cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice a long slit lengthwise through center of tenderloin (not through the other side), within 3/4-inch of opposite side, making a long pocket to hold spinach stuffing; open flat. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while preparing stuffing mixture.

In a medium skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute garlic and onions over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in fresh parsley and cook about 1 minute. In a medium bowl combine drained chopped spinach and onion/garlic/parsley mixture. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, cheese and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread spinach stuffing mixture evenly down the center of beef tenderloin, pressing firmly. Tightly roll up tenderloin, tucking the small end under so it cooks evenly. Tie beef with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals. Place beef on rack in roasting pan. Brush with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Bake at 450 degrees F for the first 15 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and cook an additional 25 to 30 minutes to desired doneness; or until an instant read thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers approximately 140 to 145 degrees F for medium rare; 160 degrees F for medium; or 170 degrees for well done (note that meat will continue to cook after removing from oven and the temperature increases approximately 5 degrees as the meat rests). Remove from oven and cover loosely with foil for about 10 minutes before slicing.