Take appetizing finger food to a new level with these festive Filet Mignon Rosemary Skewers! Juicy beef tenderloin coated in a red wine balsamic reduction is sure to be a hit at your next holiday gathering or cocktail party.
The marinated steak is roasted along with earthy mushrooms and sweet red bell pepper for super tender, bite-size bombs of flavor. The meat and vegetables are already infused with rosemary in the balsamic glaze and become even more aromatic when using the sprigs as skewers.
Not only are these little beef tenderloin appetizer skewers incredibly delicious, they’re so pretty and fun to serve! Just like these easy recipes for Marinated Tortellini Skewers and Chorizo Fingerling Potato Kabobs to round out your make-ahead appetizer menu.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Easy recipe to prep ahead! Beef can be cubed and the glaze prepared up to 48 hours ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled separately in the fridge.
- Customizable! You can easily change things up with ideas in the Variations section below.
- Grab the Kids! Assembling skewers is a great way to get your kids involved in the kitchen and they’ll be ready in a fraction of the time.
What is the best steak for skewers?
Our vote for the best beef for kabobs is filet mignon. It’s lean, tender and doesn’t require much prep. Other great options are skirt steak, flat iron, rib-eye, and top sirloin steak, the most economical of the bunch. Avoid chuck roast and stew meat that requires low-and-slow cooking to become tender.
Main Ingredients
For the Steak Skewers
- Beef of choice depending on taste and budget.
- Rosemary sprigs that are firm to act as skewers and the trimmed leaves are used in the recipe. But bamboo or wooden skewers are totally fine too.
- Mushrooms are such a great pairing with beef and absorb all the flavor bestowed on them.
- Red peppers are a sweet addition when caramelized and add a bright pop of color.
For the Glaze
- Red wine like a medium-bodied pinot noir works nicely and isn’t expensive.
- Balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar work best.
- Shallots or onion.
- Fresh Rosemary leaves to hammer that flavor home.
- Garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper or peppercorns.
If this balsamic glaze isn’t quite up your alley try this Cilantro Pistachio Pesto, Tomatillo Salsa Verde or Horseradish Cream Sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
We'll start with the balsamic red wine reduction since it can be made a few days in advance. See the recipe card for the glaze and beef skewers for all the details!
For Glaze
Start by melting butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, add the shallots and sauté until translucent.
Add garlic and salt to the pan, and cook 1 minute. Increase to medium-high heat and add the wine, peppercorns and rosemary. Cook until reduced by half.
Add the vinegar and cook until reduced to about one-third. Remove from heat, strain mixture through a fine sieve into a small bowl and set aside.
For Steak Kabobs
Marinate the cubed meat up to 4 hours if you have time. Keep in the refrigerator but let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting.
Spread the beef in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
Spread the peppers and mushrooms on another rimmed baking pan in an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake beef 5-6 minutes for medium rare (125 degrees F). Cook longer if desired.
Bake vegetables 12-14 minutes until they soften and begin to caramelize.
To assemble, lay rosemary sprig on a work surface. Skewer 1 mushroom slice, 1 pepper square, and 1 beef cube onto trimmed rosemary sprigs.
Arrange on a serving platter with remaining glaze on the side.
Temperatures for Degree of Doneness
These are temperature ranges depending on how you like your beef cooked: 125 – 130 degrees F for medium-rare; 135 – 140 degrees for medium; and 145 - 150 degrees F for medium-well. If you go over 150 degrees with a beef tenderloin, that’s an expensive oops.
Variations
- Different meat – Make rosemary chicken skewers or use pork tenderloin.
- Vegetarian – Cook up cubed tofu instead of meat!
- Other vegetables – Make the recipe a little heartier with par-boiled baby potatoes, cubed butternut squash, sweet potatoes or cherry tomatoes.
Complementary Appetizers to Serve
Here are more serving ideas that pair well with these rosemary steak skewers.
- French Onion Smashed Potato Bites
- Honey Roasted Pear & Brie Flatbread
- Hot Cheesy Crab Dip
- Festive Pomegranate Guacamole
- Roasted Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Flatbread
Recipe FAQs & Tips
To ensure even cooking when making kabobs of any kind is to have uniform size pieces. This recipe works best with 1-inch cubes of beef. Buy filets that are at least 1-inch thick or if cutting cubes from a whole beef tenderloin or other kind of steak try to make them the same size.
Rosemary is one of the most aromatic and distinctly flavored herbs. Its long, needlelike leaves have a pronounced earthy, piney flavor that pairs very well with beef and lamb, especially when garlic and olive oil are involved.
Meat, seafood and vegetables roasted or grilled on a stick are loved across different cultures around the globe. When you see these terms on a menu or a recipe, they simply mean skewers! Brochette French, Pincho Spanish, Shish Kabobs Turkish, Souvlaki Greek, Kofta Middle Eastern, Anticucho Peruvian, Satay Indonesian, Shaokao Chinese and Yakitori Japanese.
Related Recipes
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📋 Recipe
Filet Mignon Rosemary Skewers with Red Wine Balsamic Reduction
Equipment
Ingredients
Red Wine Balsamic Glaze
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons shallots , minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups red wine , medium-bodied such as Pinot Noir
- 6-8 black peppercorns
- 1 small sprig of rosemary , cut into pieces
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Skewers
- 24 rosemary sprigs , 3-4 inches long for assembling
- 1 ½ pounds beef tenderloin , trimmed of excess fat, cut into 24 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup red wine balsamic glaze (from above recipe)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh rosemary , finely chopped
- 2 red bell peppers , cut into 24 1-inch squares
- 8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms , cut into 24 ¼-inch slices
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Red Wine Balsamic Glaze
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, . When it foams, add the shallots and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and salt to the pan, and cook 1 minute. Increase the heat to high and add the wine, peppercorns and rosemary. Cook until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
- Add the vinegar and cook until reduced to about one-third, about 5 minutes more.
- Remove from heat, strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl and set aside. Yields about ½ cup.
Skewers
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove bottom half of rosemary leaves from each sprig. Snip the woody end with scissors to create a sharper point. Set aside. Finely chop 1 ½ teaspoons of the leaves for this recipe and reserve the rest for another use.
- Place beef in a medium bowl. Add balsamic glaze, 1 tablespoon olive oil and rosemary. Toss to coat.
- Marinate meat up to 4 hours if you have time. Keep in the refrigerator but let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting. Spread the beef in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Spread the peppers and mushrooms on another rimmed baking pan. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake the beef 5-6 minutes, stirring halfway through, for medium rare. Cook longer if desired (8 minutes will be medium). Bake the vegetables 12-14 minutes until they soften and begin to brown, stirring halfway through.
- To assemble, skewer 1 mushroom slice, 1 pepper square, and 1 beef cube onto the prepped rosemary sprigs. Arrange on a platter and serve with remaining glaze. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Den M. says
Kim, I will make these for friends 65th, I was looking for something a bit special for a casual, snacking celebration. This is it (and she's a meat eater!)
Once you cook the meat and thread the skewer do you reheat them? Are you skewering them ahead of serving and putting out at room temp?
I'm glad to have found your site.
Kim Peterson says
You can serve them at room temperature. Enjoy!
Kathy Caine says
Can you skewer the night before then refrigerate and then pull out to serve at room temp?
Kim Peterson says
Definitely. But don't let skewers be at room temp more then an hour.😊
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
These little savoury bites look so vibrant and festive, and the rosemary Infused meat so delicious. Great idea to use rosemary sprigs instead of skewers!
Kim Peterson says
Thanks Ben! A delicious and festive holiday app for sure!