Beef Wellington Recipe

This classic beef Wellington recipe has roasted beef tenderloin encrusted in homemade puff pastry for the perfect meal for those elegant parties with friends and family. You will love the incredible flavors of this traditional dish.

We don’t eat beef that often these days, but occasionally, we do have a craving for some. If you want a great steak, try my Steak au Poivre or Grilled T-bone Steak.

Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is a pan-roasted beef tenderloin wrapped in fois gras paté, or duxelles, and baked in puff pastry. It has evolved slightly and is now commonly brushed in mustard (Dijon or yellow) and wrapped in prosciutto in addition to the duxelles.

Duxelles is a classic French filling consisting of finely minced mushrooms that are then sweated in a pan in olive oil with diced shallots, garlic, and fresh thyme.  It is also used in soups and sauces aside from this recipe.

Beef wellington should be simply sliced using a serrated knife to keep the puff pastry intact and serve it by the slice to your guests.  In addition, it can be served with a simple brown sauce underneath the slices on a plate you are serving. The higher grade of beef you purchase the more fat and marbling will be on it rendering a better, juicier flavor.

There is no clear history of this classic dish, but many have attributed it to England or France.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Beef – The classic cut of meat to use in this dish is a beef tenderloin, which can range in cost from $20 to $30 per pound, depending on the grade of beef you decide to purchase. Beef tenderloin is an extremely tender cut of meat with low-fat content.
• Mushrooms – I used a combination of button, cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms. You can use 1 of these or any comb of the four. In addition, any mushrooms are good to use.
• Onions – You will need a shallot and garlic cloves. However, you can substitute the shallot with a red, white, or sweet onion.
• Fat – Olive or avocado oil is best to use.
• Wine – Any dry white wine such as chardonnay, pinot grigio, or sauvignon blanc will work well in this beef Wellington.
• Herbs – I use fresh thyme and parsley in the duxelles and for garnish. You can substitute the thyme with fresh rosemary or sage when cooking the beef. However, you can substitute the dry thyme in the duxelles with an equal amount of dry thyme.
• Mustard – Dijon or yellow mustard can be used.
• Pastry – You will need a sheet of puff pastry, which can be homemade or frozen, store-bought, and thawed.
• Ham – I use prosciutto ham to wrap around the beef tenderloin before encrusting it in the pastry. Other options are ham, speck, or serrano ham,
• Eggs – Large chilled or room temperature eggs must brush the puff pastry before baking to ensure it gets browned.

How to Make Beef Wellington

Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic to a food processor and pulse on high until the ingredients are about the size of rice.

Add olive oil to a large saute pan over low heat and add the mushroom mixture while frequently stirring.

Cook until the moisture in the mushrooms has evaporated or reduced.

Deglaze with wine and cook for 5-7 more minutes to evaporate and reduce the liquid.

Fold in herbs, salt, and pepper until combined, and then set aside on a plate to cool slightly.

Season the beef with salt and pepper.

Add the same mushroom pan back to the burner over medium-high heat and add olive oil until it smokes lightly.

Sear the beef until well browned on all sides.

Remove from the pan, generously brush it with the mustard on all sides, and let it rest on a plate.

Roll the puff pastry sheet and roll it out until it’s about 18” by 12”.

Overlap the prosciutto in the center of the puff pastry, then spread the mushroom mixture over the ham to cover it completely.

Put the tenderloin towards the bottom of the ham and mushroom mixture and roll it forward completely, encrusting the tenderloin.

Cut off the excess puff pastry from the sides and pinch the seams together.

Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Next, brush the puff pastry outside on all sides with the egg yolk and milk egg wash.

Score if it with the back side of your knife if desired to make a design and bake at 425° for 18-22 minutes or until a thermometer reads at 120° to 125° internally of the beef.

Remove from the oven at let it rest for 10 minutes before carefully slicing and serving it

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be served as soon as it is done cooking.

How to Store: Cover it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It will freeze covered in plastic for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before heating. It will lose a lot of moisture in the freezer, causing it to be dry and the puff pastry soggy.

How to Reheat: Caution that reheating beef will cause it to go up in temperature, which will overcook it. Place some slices of the beef Wellington in a pan with a lid and bake at 325° for 6 to 8 minutes or until hot.

chef notes + tips

• The higher your grade of beef, the more fat and marbling will be on it, rendering a better, juicier flavor.
• You can use whatever type of mushroom you’d like to make the duxelles.
• A typical beef Wellington at a restaurant may cost you around $100 and can feed 2 people. My recipe will cost that same amount and feed 4-5 people.
• Since the tenderloin was pre-seared and the puff pastry needs to bake and turn golden brown, the lowest temperature you could even serve it at is rare, which comes in at around 115° internally. 
• You chill the beef wellington in the refrigerator before baking it to cool the butter in the pastry so that it does not sag as soon as you put it in the oven.
• I usually use a serrated knife when slicing this.

More Beef Recipes

• Bone-in Ribeye Roast
• Beef Tenderloin Roast
• Steak Frites
• Boeuf Bourguignon
• Filet Mignon

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Beef Wellington Recipe

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5 from 17 votes

This classic beef Wellington recipe is roasted beef tenderloin encrusted in homemade puff pastry for the perfect meal for family and friends.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 23 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 pound total of wild mushrooms, (I used button, cremini, shiitake, and oysters)
• 2 small peeled shallots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup chardonnay
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2- pound beef tenderloin
• 3 tablespoons yellow or Dijon mustard
• ½ recipe of puff pastry or 1 frozen and thawed puff pastry sheet
• 6 slices of ham di parma
• 2 egg yolks whisked with 1 tablespoon whole milk to make an egg wash
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°.
• Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic to a food processor and pulse on high until the ingredients are about the size of rice. Likewise, you can also finely mince everything on a cutting board with a sharp chef’s knife. Set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large saute pan over low heat and add in the mushroom mixture. Frequently stir and do not burn it.
• Cook for 20 minutes or until the moisture in the mushrooms has evaporated or reduced.
• Deglaze with wine and cook for 5-7 more minutes to evaporate and reduce the wine liquid.
• Fold in parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper until combined, and then set aside on a plate to cool slightly.
• Add the same mushroom pan back to the burner over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
• In the meantime, generously season the beef tenderloin on all sides with salt and pepper and brown it on all sides in the pan with olive oil, about 90 seconds per side.
• Remove from the pan, generously brush it with the mustard on all sides, and let it rest on a plate.
• Next, on a clean surface, lightly dusted with flour, add the puff pastry sheet, and roll it out until it’s about 16”-18” long by 12” wide.
• Overlap 6 slices of ham di parma right in the center of the puff pastry and then spread the mushroom mixture over top of the ham and spread around to completely cover it.
• Put the tenderloin towards the bottom part of the ham and mushroom mixture and roll it forward completely, encrusting the tenderloin.
• Pick up the beef tenderloin, place it back toward the bottom part of the puff pastry, and then roll it forward to wrap it up.
• Pinch the seams together, cut off the excess puff pastry from the sides, and pinch the seams together or twist them together to ensure it is airtight.
• Place on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Next, brush the puff pastry outside on all sides with the egg yolk and milk egg wash.
• Score it with the back side of your knife if desired to make a design and bake at 425° for 18-22 minutes or until a thermometer reads at 120° internally of the beef.
• Remove from the oven at let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving it.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 1 day in advance of serving it. After you roll up the tenderloin in the puff pastry place it in the refrigerator overnight until ready to bake the next day.

How to Store: It will hold, covered in plastic in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It will freeze covered in plastic for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating it. It will lose a lot of moisture in the freezer, causing it to be dry and the puff pastry to be soggy.

How to Reheat: Caution that reheating beef will cause it to go up in temperature, which may overcook it. Place some slices or a chunk in a pan with a lid and bake at 325° for 6-8 minutes or until hot.

The higher your grade of beef, the more fat and marbling will be on it, rendering a better, juicier flavor.

You can use whatever type of mushroom you’d like to make the duxelles.

A typical beef Wellington at a restaurant may cost you around $100 and can feed 2 people. My recipe will cost that same amount and feed 4-5 people.

Since the tenderloin was pre-seared and the puff pastry needs to bake and turn golden brown, the lowest temperature you could even serve it at is rare, which comes in at around 115° internally.

You chill the beef wellington in the refrigerator before baking it to cool the butter in the pastry so that it does not sag as soon as you put it in the oven.

I usually use a serrated knife when slicing this.

Nutrition

Calories: 1021kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 51gFat: 80gSaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 264mgSodium: 409mgPotassium: 1190mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 346IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 8mg

Course: dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American, French

Author: Chef Billy Parisi