Filet Mignon with Southwestern Sauce

We love a good steak in our house. My favorite is a filet either seared in a cast iron skillet or grilled. I also love my steak with southwestern sauce.

Handy prefers to cut his filet into thin slices cover it with horseradish sauce and grilled onions and eat it on a bakery bun.

a medium-rare steak with southwestern sauce over it.

On my blog Living Large in A Small House, I may sometimes use affiliate links, which means a small commission is earned if you make a purchase via the link. The price will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website using a non-affiliate link. You can find my full Disclosure Policy HERE

Southwestern Sauce

This sauce brings together the flavors of tomato (which I love), jalapeno peppers, and garlic. Butter combines all the flavors in a rich sauce.

You might think it will be spicy but it isn’t really. It has just enough spiciness to create an amazing sauce.

a picture of all the ingredients for southwestern sauce

Southwestern Sauce

A spicy but not hot, rich sauce
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Sauces
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: southwestern sauce, steak sauce
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 202kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tsps cumin
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 4 tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 tbsp chilled butter
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Instructions

  • Saute peppers, garlic, and cumin in olive oil for one minute; increase heat to high; stir in wine, boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup. Add stock, and boil to reduce to 1 cup, stirring constantly.
  • Lower heat. Add tomatoes and cook down. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring constantly until melted. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter, stirring until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Add cilantro

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 536mg | Potassium: 662mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 626IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 4mg
Yum
A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.
a picture of southwestern sauce

How to Cook Your Steaks

Filets are best when brought to room temperature before cooking. They really don’t need anything but salt and pepper on each side.

Heat a cast iron skillet that has a coating of olive oil on high heat. Sear both sides of the steak until browned. When “Handy” is showing off for guests he also will sear the sides of steaks. Then turn the heat down to medium and let the steaks cook until the desired doneness.

We like our steak medium-rare and “Handy” can tell if it’s cooked correctly by just pushing on it with his finger. I need to use a meat thermometer and I cook it until 130 degrees. Then let it sit for 5 minutes.

  • Rare – 130° – 135°
  • Medium – 135° – 145°
  • Medium Well – 145° – 155°
  • Well Done – 155° – 165°
A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.
Raw filets coming up to room temperature for cooking.

Other Steaks

While we really like a filet we also like new york strip steaks.

You can also serve this sauce over a rib-eye steak or sirloin steak. Actually, you can serve it over any kind of meat. I haven’t tried it but it might be very good over a salmon steak.

Filet Mignon

Filet Mignon is cut from the tip of the Tenderloin, a delicate and tender area of the loin primal. It’s also an incredibly lean part of the animal, which means you’ll enjoy a fork-tender steak without much fat or connective tissue. These qualities have made Filet Mignon one of the most prized cuts of beef.

Side Dishes

If you’ve never tried grilled romaine, you should. It’s perfect with a steak. This recipe is the one I use HERE

Another thing we love is broasted potatoes. Broasted potatoes are baby potatoes cut in half and par-boiled then tossed in olive oil and any spices you like and then bake until done and crispy brown.

I add crushed garlic, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper to my olive oil and then toss.

A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.

Tools you’ll need

Other Favorite Steak Toppings

filet with horseradish sauce
filet on toasted bun with steak sauce and sautéed onions

I hope this gives you some ideas to add something special to your next steak. I love all of these steak topping ideas but the southwestern sauce will always be my favorite

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you might be planning out a special meal. I hope this helps.

Peace and Love,

A blue background with hand-drawn elements sets the stage. A heart symbol flanked by two lines adds charm, while the text "Lynn xoxo" in cursive whispers a promise to make food prep easier and more delightful.

One other steak we love is flank steak. You get that recipe HERE

A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.

Thanks for Following Along

If you enjoyed this post I hope you sign up to be a friend of Living Large in A Small House! Then you won’t miss any of the inspiration that is shared with you each week! You can also follow me on  Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. I share even more inspiration on Pinterest! You can listen to me chat on my Podcast.

A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.
A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.

A great way to save this article is to save it to your Pinterest boards. You can find the pin button in the top right corner of the photo below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest

A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.
A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.
WELCOME

Meet Me


After years in corporate America, I’ve channeled my interior design degree and passionate creativity into transforming our 1,300 square foot house into a cozy, inviting haven that proves beautiful living doesn’t require massive square footage.

My slight OCD tendencies fuel my love for organizing while my “Handy” husband helps bring my vintage-inspired decorating visions to life in our empty nest, where we entertain, garden, and cook from scratch.

Join me as I share practical wisdom, genuine humor, and professional insights for making the most of every square inch—because I’ve discovered that living large isn’t about the size of your home but how you fill it with style, function, and heart.

About the elderly woman: With long gray hair and glasses, she wears a white knit sweater and hoop earrings, her gentle smile radiates warmth against the plain light gray background.
A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.
living large podcast

My guest Crystal Ratzlaff was my guest this week on the podcast. She is a fellow blogger who lives in Canada and we talk about all things home and garden. We also share something we are collaborating on soon.

A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.

Featured

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.