Sous Vide Filet Mignon with Delicious Mushroom Sauce

Make sous vide filet mignon recipe with a savory mushroom sauce for any special occasion by following this step-by-step guide. Get ready for a restaurant-worthy meal in the comfort of your own home!

Eating a tender, juicy filet mignon is a luxurious experience whether in a steakhouse or at home, but the fear of overcooking it is real for us home cooks. Am I right? Well, let sous vide wipe those fears away once and for all! This sous vide filet mignon with mushroom sauce is, without a doubt, going to be the highlight of your next dinner party or any special occasion. In this article, we’ll look at the basics of sous vide cooking, the techniques used to make filet mignon cooked this way, and the convenience that sous vide provides for experienced cooks and novices alike. Even better, you’ll get step-by-step instructions for preparing a delicious mushroom sauce that will be the perfect accompaniment to your filet mignon.

What Is Sous Vide Cooking?

If you’re unfamiliar with sous vide cooking, I’ve put together a comprehensive starter guide to help you learn how this method of cooking creates perfect texture and flavor every single time. Read Sous Vide Everything: A Complete Guide to Sous Vide Cooking. You can also click the button below to download the full PDF guide. It’s free.

The Premium Cut: Filet Mignon

In French, “mignon” means small, pretty, and dainty. Filet mignon is cut from the tip of the beef tenderloin, a delicate, tender, and small area of the loin primal. The name sort of already reflects its delicacy. 

It’s also an incredibly lean part of the animal, which means it doesn’t have much fat or connective tissue. When cooked properly, the steak is fork-tender and melts in your mouth. These qualities have made filet mignon one of the most prized cuts of beef.

Why Sous Vide Filet Mignon? 

There are many ways to prepare filet mignon, but if you are looking for consistent results, the sous vide method is the ONLY way that guarantees your filet mignon will come out perfectly cooked from edge to edge without any volume reduction. 

As mentioned before, the cut is very low in fat, and fat conducts heat more slowly than muscle. Therefore, filet mignon cooks much faster in traditional methods and is thus prone to drying out. 

I don’t know about you, but in the past, I have overcooked filet mignon multiple times. I do not want to experience that EVER AGAIN. It’s a mistake that’s too expensive to make.  

Cooking sous vide allows the filet mignon to reach the optimal internal temperature for steak from edge to edge. In other words, you have full control of the cooking process without even being there. 

You will not overcook it, and the result is guaranteed every single time. Period. 

This is by far the biggest and most obvious reason to sous vide filet mignon, in my opinion.

Ready to give it a try? Let’s do it. 

What You Need 

In this steak recipe, you are not only going to make the tenderest and juiciest filet mignon ever but also a succulent mushroom sauce that levels up your luxurious home dining experience even more. (Spoiler alert: It’s made with the juice from the steak!) 

Now, let’s gather our ingredients. 

Ingredients 

For the Steak:  

• Filet mignon: This is a very specific cut of beef and the star of the dish. Well, the spotlight is on it whenever it enters the stage. If you can, buy cuts that are at least 1½ inches thick. 
• Salt and pepper: For such a premium cut of meat, a little salt and pepper are really all you need, as you want the natural taste of filet mignon to shine to the fullest. 
• Fresh rosemary: I always use fresh herbs when cooking steak sous vide. It’s optional but highly recommended. 
• Unsalted butter: For searing the filet mignon as well as making the mushroom sauce. If you are on a paleo diet, use olive oil instead. 
• Garlic: Another optional ingredient. I like throwing a couple of fresh garlic cloves in the pan during the searing process. In this case, we will use the residual infused butter to cook the mushroom sauce. Double win! (You can also add garlic during the sous vide process.)

For the Mushroom Sauce: 

• Fresh mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms for the sauce. Feel free to choose any mushrooms that you like. A mix of a couple of different types of mushrooms also works.
• Shallots: They are used as aromatics to build flavor in the sauce, and they don’t have the tangy bite that onions do.
• Dry red wine: Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon are good choices. 
• Juice from the steak cooking bag(s): This is where the uniqueness of this mushroom sauce lies, and you can only have access to the juice by cooking the steak sous vide.  
• Beef broth or water (even better, use beef bone broth): Only when the steak juice from the sous vide bag(s) is inadequate should you add beef broth or water. 
• Tomato paste: A small amount of tomato paste gives the savory mushroom sauce an umami punch. 

Essential Equipment 

• A sous vide machine. I used an Anova Precision Cooker to sous vide my filet mignon.
• A large pot or a sous vide container. Anova makes a solid sous vide container that holds 16 liters of water. That’s what I use, but a large and deep soup pot is fine too.
• A vacuum sealer and vacuum-seal bags. Although a vacuum sealer is not strictly required to cook steak sous vide, I’d recommend vacuum sealing your filet mignon for the best results. For this recipe, I used two pre-cut 6X10” vacuum-seal bags.
• A cast-iron skillet. To finish sous vide filet mignon, I seared it in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. You can cook the mushroom sauce in the same skillet afterward. 

Now that we’ve got all the things that we need to make this recipe, next we need to know what temperature we should use to sous vide filet mignon and for how long. 

Sous Vide Filet Mignon Temperature and Time 

Similar to sous vide ribeye or sous vide sirloin, the temperature for sous vide filet mignon directly correlates to the doneness you desire. 

• Rare: 125°F (52°C)
• Medium-rare: 129°F (54°C)
• Medium: 140°F (60°C) 
• Medium-well: 145°F (63°C)
• Well-done: 150°F (65°C)

The cook time depends on how thick your steak is. 

• 1 inch: 30 minutes
• 1½ inches: 1 hour 30 minutes 
• 2 inches: 2 hours

In my opinion, the best medium-rare steak comes from a 1½-inch thick filet mignon that cooks at 129°F (54°C) for 1.5 hours. 

How to Sous Vide Filet Mignon Step by Step

Step #1 – Set up sous vide: Preheat water to 129°F (54°C) or your desired temperature using a sous vide immersion circulator. 

Step #2 – Prepare filet mignon: Season filet mignon with salt and pepper on both sides, add it to the vacuum sealer bag(s) with a sprig of rosemary, and vacuum seal it. 

Step #3 – Cook the filet mignon sous vide: Drop the steak in the prepared water bath. If using a Ziploc bag, use the water displacement method to push as much air out as possible and set the timer according to the thickness of your steak.

Step #4 – Chop shallots and mushrooms: While the steak is cooking, finely chop shallots, and thinly sliced mushrooms, then set them aside. 

Step #5 – Sear the filet mignon: After sous vide, pat the filet mignon dry and sear both sides in a hot cast-iron skillet with melted butter. Reserve the cooking juice from the sous vide bag. Once done, remove from heat and place the steak on a plate, then cover to keep warm. 

Step #6 – Make the mushroom sauce:  In the same skillet, sauté shallots and mushrooms, add wine, and cook, followed by the reserved meat juice blended with tomato paste. Add beef broth or water if the liquid is not enough. Cook until the mixture has reached a sauce-like consistency.

Step #7 – Serve: Remove the sauce from the heat. Nestle the filet mignons into the mushroom sauce if you like. Garnish with fresh rosemary and serve. Or serve each filet mignon on a plate with your desired side dishes, and spoon the mushroom sauce over the top. Enjoy!

What to Serve with Sous Vide Filet Mignon

In the recipe video and photos, I served sous vide filet mignon with some quickly pan-steamed broccolini with sweet green peas and roasted tomatoes on the vine, then topped it off with the scrumptious mushroom sauce. For more inspiration, try these sides. 

• Veggie-Loaded Mashed Potato Salad
• Easy Beans and Rice
• Garlic-Herb Hasselback Potatoes
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Garlic and Almond
• Kale Quinoa Salad with Oregano Lemon Vinaigrette 

You see, with the precise temperature control afforded by a sous vide cooker, it’s nearly impossible to overcook a filet mignon; the sous vide ensures that it comes out juicy and flavorful every time. Serve this easy yet sophisticated meal to your family and friends and enjoy all the compliments!

Now that you have the steps for creating your own sous vide filet mignon with mushroom sauce, why don’t you give it a try? Share your experience with all the StreetSmart home chefs in the comments below and let us know how it turned out!

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