Just 5 simple ingredients and a handful of quick tips can yield a flawlessly tender, juicy filet mignon with a red wine-balsamic glaze! Cook this easy, elegant dinner at home for any special occasion.
There’s nothing I love more than being able to recreate a delicious restaurant meal at home! We love to go out for dinner once in a while. But, I often find that you can whip up amazing, inexpensive copycats of your favorite restaurant meals with few ingredients… and little effort! Besides, the clean-up after cooking is totally worth it for having leftovers in the fridge. If you’re lucky to have any!
Recently, we decided to experiment with a fancy but oh-so-easy filet mignon recipe. In under 5 minutes, it yielded us the most juicy, mouthwatering steak we’d ever enjoyed at home. It was SO simple, quick and only needed 4 ingredients, plus salt and pepper. There was some careful planning involved ahead of time, however!
Let me share my best tips with you towards your own scrumptious steak…
Begin by removing your steaks from your refrigerator about 45 minutes before you’ll be cooking them. Pat them dry on all sides. Drying the meat before cooking will get you that deep, dark peppery crust that steakhouses are famous for. Capiche?
Now, season the top and bottom with coarse salt and pepper. Don’t be afraid to go heavy on it! A good 1/4 teaspoon of each on both sides works well, but you can eyeball it. Seasoning your meat in advance intensifies the flavor and draws some of the moisture out. This is a good thing, since a drier surface area means that a better crust will develop. Let the meat sit at room temperature until you’re ready to cook.
Once you’re ready, it’s time for the fun part! Start with a screamin’ hot pan. I added a dollop of vegetable oil to my nonstick cast iron pan, but you can also cook it without oil. Do not use olive oil. Place your steaks in the hot pan, cooking quickly until browned on both sides, and then splash in your wine and vinegar. Cover it up, cook for a few minutes on both sides, and remove your steaks to warm plates. Let them sit for a few minutes before serving, then drizzle the bubbly-syrupy balsamic glaze over top.
Voila!
Served with buttery warm rolls and steamed asparagus (or even better, my Lighter Creamed Spinach), this easy and elegant meal is perfect for two! Try it for yourself and your sweetie some special night, and I know you’ll agree. Just use the best quality steak, balsamic vinegar and red wine you can get your hands on… there are only few ingredients needed, but they should be quality ones.
With this simple recipe and tips, I promise that a beautifully cooked filet mignon can be a breeze. You won’t believe how delicious this steak is, done perfectly medium rare!
Easy Balsamic-Glazed Filet Mignon
Ingredients
- 2 4- to 6-ounce filet mignon steaks
- 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
Instructions
- About 45 minutes before cooking, remove steaks from refrigerator and pat dry on all sides. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Let rest at room temperature.
- When ready to cook, add oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pat all sides of steak dry again. Place steaks in the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until browned.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, and add balsamic vinegar and red wine with steaks. Cover and cook for 3 minutes on each side, basting with sauce when you turn the meat over.
- Remove steaks to two warmed plates and let sit for 5 minutes. Just before serving, spoon balsamic glaze over each steak.
- Enjoy!
Your filet mignon looks killer, love the balsamic glaze!
This is all I want for Valentine’s Day :)
GORGEOUS Georgia! I’m often too intimidated to cook a really nice cut of meat at home, but the way you’ve broken it down really does make it seem accessible! I love creating fancy meals at home. It’s less expensive, more intimate, AND you don’t get charged for that second (or third) glass of wine :)
Gorgeous! I’m curious-why can’t you use olive oil?
i generally feel unsure of myself when i cook meat, so this is really helpful! do you know what the advantage is to letting the meat temp rise to room temperature before cooking? thanks georgia!
Good question! Vegetable and canola oils can stand high heat and have neutral flavors. They’re best to use for steak, since the point of searing is to get color and caramelization on the outside of a food, which can only be done over high heat. If you try to sear with olive oil, the oil will smoke before it gets hot enough to sear the steak.
If the meat is cold before adding to the pan, you risk drying out its exterior before the inside is able to cook through. If for any reason you can’t bring to room temperature, slightly lower the heat to allow the steak to cook more slowly without drying out.
I have a problem spending a lot of money on a steak dinner when they’re super simple to prepare at home. This filet looks so crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, and that glaze looks fabulous! What a great dish, Georgia.
Great post and tips, Georgia! Looks divine!
Your steak looks perfect! Love the balsamic glaze!
what a great looking steak! awesome tips too :)
This steak looks absolutely fancy restaurant-worthy! And the glaze sounds really delicious! Thanks for sharing Georgia! xx
I think this would be a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner! The glaze sounds amazing!
I agree with Gaby. I’m mesmerized by that perfect pink center. Love this Georgia!
I looove how simple you make this sound – the rare time we eat out I find myself thinking about how to make it just as good at home, and this would be a sure winner!
There’s not much better than a perfectly cooked steak. This looks divine, Georgia!
Georgia, that glaze sounds amazing. Mmm, that plump, juicy steak is calling to me. Pinned.
Now that is beef PERFECTION! I was just thinking of you yesterday (obviously I’m way behind on visiting my blogger friends), hoping you were doing well! This would be an ideal Valentine’s Day dinner at my house. Wishing you a wonderful holiday! xo
Gorgeous steak, Georgia! I don’t think that steak could be any more perfect. And the balsamic glaze sounds amazing.
Perfectly cooked steak is totally my love language! This looks amazing x 1,000,000!!!
I absolutely love filet mignon – both at restaurants and at home. My husband and I taught ourselves how to make ’em perfectly (very similar to this, actually!) and now we can have that awesome restaurant-quality steak whenever we want. YUM! Yours looks SO wonderful!
I’ve been wondering what to make for Valentines. I think I found it :) This looks wonderful, Georgia.
I might have to make this for dinner tomorrow night! It’s date night in. :) Love filet!
These steaks look like heaven to me!
Now that’s what my hubby would call a perfect meal. :)
I adore Filet Mignon, if I go out to a fancy restaurant I almost always order it! The balsamic glaze sounds divine, and so does the creamed spinach!! :)
Love a good grass fed filet! Love the idea of your balsamic glaze. I have marinated steaks with balsamic and that is fantastic too, but this will be a new one to try!
Wow…. This steaks are looking perfect.