Mmmmmmm! – – GOSH! – – I so wish you could taste this! Oh, wait….yes you CAN!!! Simply just make it. 😉
Trust me, this is “Good stuff, Maynard!” 😉 I used to make this very dish with chicken, but have come to like it even better with steak! And this particular time, it was extra special! I was thrilled to use some Omaha Steaks that were a birthday gift to me and the hubs, (our birthdays are close together), from my mom and step-dad, along with some fresh basil that I’ve been growing myself! Doesn’t get any better than that! 😉
Though there are a few steps to this, please don’t let them sway you into thinking that this is in any way difficult or complicated to make. It’s easy. SUPER easy.
You can even do these on the grill and pull them over to a cool side, or pop them into a warm oven, to hold just until the pasta cooks, which usually only takes all of a mere 3 minutes! The perfect amount of time for the steaks to rest! 😀
The key is to just get all of your ducks done and in a row, and the rest is easy-peasy street! 😉
A nice summer lettuce salad and garlic bread really are all that’s needed to finish this this meal, as you don’t want to complicate something that’s good just as it is. Steak, mushrooms, pesto, mozzarella and linguini! That’s really all that there is to it! But the flavors are fantastic!
But if you’re hankering to live on the wild side, you can add a variety of other ingredients to the linguini, too. In the past, I’ve added ripe olives, roasted garlic, fresh sliced grape tomatoes, and even asparagus tips with great success! But the basic, bare-naked version is also a very sexy dish! 😉
You can also take this to a surf-n-turf level if that’s your thing, and serve this with crab claws, lobster tails, prawns, or even steamed mussels or oysters on the half-shell!
Just use your own imagination and create the dinner that you, your family and guests will enjoy! As there is nothing more important than that. 😉
We like our steaks rare to just barely medium-rare, so simply adjust the oven time for how you prefer yours. Even if you like yours more done, you still only want to sear and brown them quickly over high heat, then finish in the oven while melting the cheese.
How thick or thin your steaks are also of course make a big difference. Ours this time were a lot thinner than what we’re normally used to, so the entire cooking time was less than 10 minutes.
So be careful and watch them, and just use your own best judgment. Be sure to remove steaks from the pan after cooking while waiting for the pasta, though, as they will continue to cook in a hot pan.
I do hope you give these a try, as it’s really a fun, easy, but elegant dinner good enough for company! I can’t wait to make them again out on the grill when the weather gets a little warmer! Hopefully that will be soon!! 😀 Have a wonderful day all! 😀
SMOTHERED BASIL PESTO BEEF TENDERLOINS with FRESH MUSHROOMS & MOZZARELLA
Serves 4
2 packets Knorr Pesto Sauce mix
2 Tbl. olive oil
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup water
1 Tbl. butter
1 (8 oz.) cont. fresh sliced mushrooms
4 Tbl. butter
1 tsp. minced garlic
4 small beef tenderloins, about 1/2″ thick
lots of coarse ground black pepper
1/2 stick butter
4 thick slices fresh mozzarella
1 (8-9 oz.) pkg. fresh linguini
DIRECTIONS:
In very small bowl, mix 1 pesto packet with 2 Tbl. olive oil. Set aside.
In small saucepan, mix second pesto packet with 1/4 cup olive oil and water. Bring to a boil, stirring, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 Tbl. butter and set aside.
In small frying pan, sauté mushrooms with the 4 Tbl. butter and minced garlic just for just a few minutes. Only about 3-4. Stir in small bowl of pesto sauce, and sauté 2 more minutes. Set aside.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil with 1 tsp. salt and cook linguini according to package directions. Usually only about 3 minutes. Drain, pour back into pot and pour pan of pesto sauce over noodles. Toss to coat, cover and set aside. *Or cook noodles after steaks are done, especially if wanting them more done than medium-rare, while steaks rest.
Preheat oven to broil.
Heavily pepper steaks on both sides. In heavy bottomed oven-proof frying pan (I use my cast iron one), melt 1/2 a stick of butter over high heat and sear steaks on both sides. Only 1-2 minutes on each side for 3/4 – 1 ” thick steaks. Remove from heat, top each with mushrooms. Place a thick slice of mozzarella on top if each, and place under broiler to melt cheese. Watch so it doesn’t burn!
*Steaks will turn out medium-rare. Serve steaks over pesto linguini.
