This Filet Mignon Salad combines a decadent filet Mignon with caramelized mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and the mild bite of shallots plus the tang of a delicious balsamic dressing. Date night dinner, anyone?  

About Filet Mignon Salad

For those who love a great steak with caramelized mushrooms and a tangy side salad, this Filet Mignon Salad is for you.

I have to say I splurged on this filet, but when you consider that just 1 small filet happily can feed 2 people, then it’s not too bad.

I know I could have substituted a rib eye, but there’s  just nothing like a melt-in-your-mouth Filet Mignon for flavor.

And the really great thing, if you’re concerned about healthy recipes, is that the calorie count on a generous sized serving of this delicious salad is only 288 calories.

Decadence and low cal. Yes! 

So, let’s make it.

Ingredients for Filet Mignon Salad

• Filet Mignon steak
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Butter
• Vegetable oil
• Rocket greens (Arugula)
• Tomatoes
• Shallot
• Mushrooms
• Dressing:
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Honey
• Dijon Mustard
• Sea salt
• Pepper

 

How to Make Filet Mignon Salad

I start with the mushrooms and let them caramelize in butter in an oven proof pan.

The important thing when you caramelize mushrooms is to put them in the pan when the butter has melted and then Don’t Move Them for the first 4 minutes or so.

If you can’t resist moving them early, they won’t caramelize as well.

Finally stir them and let them cook on the other side.

The whole cooking time will only take about  6-7 minutes before you remove them to a bowl.

Then I like to add the filet to that same pan with those wonderful drippings, so the filet can pick up that great mushroom flavor.

I discovered early that learning to make Filet Mignon steaks was so much more reasonable than buying them in an expensive Steakhouse restaurant. And Ina Garten was my teacher. 

She calls her recipe Steakhouse Steaks and that’s exactly what it is. You really can’t tell the difference between her recipe and a restaurant steak. Every bit of the flavor is right there and perfect. 

And the best thing about making them yourself is that you can control the sodium and exactly how well you like to have your steaks cooked. To me medium rare is cooked with the inside being pink and juicy. 

In restaurant-speak medium rare is browned top and bottom and very, very rare inside. Way too rare in my case, so I’ve had to send them back to the kitchen. 

So I don’t even order them anymore, I cook them instead.  

I use a little less seasoning than Ina does and I don’t add the cream  sauce but as far as how she cooks the filet, I think her method is perfect.

First, she sears her steaks in a hot oven proof frypan on every side…top, bottom, and all the sides for 2 minutes each for a total of 10 minutes and then places the pan in a 400 degree oven until medium rare.

She never said exactly how long that is, yet my estimation for you is around 12 minutes, which will be just slightly rare inside.

Keep in mind this is for medium, but if you prefer medium rare or medium well, you’ll need to adjust the time.

Check it with your meat thermometer (and cut into it) and when the steak is just almost the way you like it, remove it from the oven. 

At this point just cover it tightly with foil. It will continue to cook on its own for a little a bit. And as it rests, it also will be juicing up more.

As the steak rests, time to make the salad. 

Arugula is really a great choice because of its peppery flavor, which goes perfectly with the steak. Then simply add the caramelized mushrooms, the fresh tomatoes and the shallots.  

Next comes the dressing. The tang of balsamic vinegar goes wonderfully with the steak. 

Simply add olive oil to some balsamic vinegar, the Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and a touch of honey to balance it.  Whisk it all up and pour enough of it on the salad to just lightly coat the ingredients.  

 

Finally, slice the filet thinly and layer it around the edge. And that’s it! A perfect dinner that’s light and rich at the same time.  

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below and be sure and pin this on Pinterest! 

For more salad ideas, you might be interest in these:

Shrimp and Spinach Cobb Salad

Grilled Summer Salad