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This Delicious Beef Tenderloin Pear and Cranberry Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing is simple to prepare and a great, healthy meal idea for your family or when company visits too!
I originally shared this recipe for Beef Tenderloin Pear and Cranberry Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing over five years ago and I thought it was time for a refresh! I had forgotten how delicious it truly is and am happy to be sharing it with you all again (or maybe for some of you, for the first time!) It was originally part of a series for a Texas Beef Council campaign that I participated in.
I’m not sure where I first had a steak over salad greens dish, but what I do remember is that it was a terrific combination that surprised my taste buds. What I love about this type of meal is that it gives us our lean protein and tons of terrific veggies and fruits too. I’ll admit, I don’t think I’d ever bought tenderloins before trying this recipe, so it was a bit of sticker shock on the price but I decided to splurge and got a little under a pound and that was plenty for my family of four (we even had a little leftover). During the holidays, you can often find beef tenderloin on sale so be sure to check for that! The butcher had told me that the tenderloin would be, well, tender unless I just cooked it to a crisp.
Since grilling year-round is an option in my part of southeast Texas, I grilled the meat outside. If you are making this and can’t grill outside, an indoor grill will work well or you can also pan sear it on both sides and finish it in the oven. I cooked the meat to a medium rare and it practically melted in our mouths which makes it easy to enjoy with the salad greens.
And talk about simple—this dish was SO EASY and went together quickly. Including grilling, it took me about 30 minutes to prepare. We especially liked the added crunch of the nuts. We often include nuts on our salads for a healthier salad topping alternative to croutons. The beauty of this Delicious Beef Tenderloin Pear and Cranberry Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing is that it makes a great looking salad too—one that is definitely company worthy too! My family really loved the homemade honey mustard dressing—it made plenty so we’ve used that the last couple of nights on our regular salads too.
Beef Tenderloin, Pear and Cranberry Salad With Honey Mustard Dressing
Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 4 beef tenderloin steaks cut ¾-inch thick (approximately 4 oz. each)
- ½ teaspoon coarse grind black pepper
- 1 5 oz. package mixed baby salad greens
- 1 medium red or green pear cored and cut into 16 wedges
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- salt
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans toasted
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese optional
- ½ cup prepared honey mustard
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon coarse grind black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Season steaks with ½ tsp. pepper. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place steaks in skillet; cook 7 to 9 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk Honey Mustard Dressing ingredients until well blended. Set aside. Divide greens evenly among 4 plates. Top evenly with pear wedges and dried cranberries.
- Carve steaks into thin slices; season with salt as desired. Divide steak slices evenly over salads. Top each salad evenly with dressing, pecans and goat cheese, if desired.
- To toast pecans, spread in single layer on metal baking sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Set aside to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
And here’s the bonus for making a main dish salad like this for dinner: According to a study called BOLD (Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet), it proves that nutrient-rich lean beef, in addition to being satisfying and great-tasting, can be part of a solution to building a heart-healthy diet.
Protein is great for things like providing energy, boosting immunity and brain power, enhancing weight lost via satiety and maintaining lean muscle mass among other things. For more information on the BOLD study, click on this link.
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!
Sue @ Cakeballs, cookies and more
Oh that sounds good, I would love it all but the salad, lettuce hurts my tummy now:(
BusyWorkingMama
Yum, that looks delicious! I love salad dinners, we try to have them once a week.
Arena @ The Nerd's Wife
This is the recipe I tried, too! I love your plate in the picture. I have a bit of a plate addiction… I own way to many and none of them match! But that’s best for taking food photos, right!?
Here’s my post: http://thenerdswife.com/2012/03/tenderloin-cranberry-and-pear-salad-healthy-meals-to-fuel-the-family-week-two.html
Meal Plan Mom (Brenda)
It was SO good, wasn’t it? And I’ll confess, I’m beginning to get quite a plate collection. My cabinets are overflowing. Homegoods and Marshall’s are just way too tempting for me!
Screwed Up Texan
This is the recipe my family made! We are HUGE salad and fresh produce eaters so this meal fit right in with us. Here is my post: http://screweduptexan.com/2012/03/power-up-with-main-dish-salads-tenderloin-cranberry-and-pear-salad-texas-beef.html
Meal Plan Mom (Brenda)
Yes, we eat a lot of salads too so I was immediately drawn to it. I was a bit skeptical about the beef mixing with the salad but it worked together beautifully!