Run your kitchen like a tight ship this week with our handy plan for each night, featuring baked butternut with gruyere, caramelised pork, an easy-peasy pasta, a tasty chicken casserole and show-stopping steak with blue cheese and bacon sauce.

Monday: Butternut and sage gratin
Each serving of this rich wintery treat is neatly baked in a ramekin so you can keep it all to yourself. The butternut, caramelised onions and nutty gruyere cheese make this ideal for a meat-free Monday without sacrificing the satisfaction.

Tuesday: Caramelised pork with pomegranate jus on a bed of greens
Pork fillet is a delicious, affordable cut of meat that works well with sweet-and-sour flavours. You can also garnish it with toasted slivered almonds, crushed pistachios or crispy onion sprinkles.

Wednesday: Pasta puttanesca
In theme with the mid-week MasterChef SA madness, try this homemade tagliatelle with puttanesca sauce from Andrew and Benny’s recipe in the MasterChef SA cookbook. The great appeal of puttanesca is that everything comes from your pantry – anchovies, chilli flakes, olives, tinned tomatoes – so there’s no need for a grocery trip. Use store-bought pasta if time is tight. (Bookmark our MasterChef SA page for updates after each episode.)

Thursday: Chicken with smoked paprika, bacon and white beans
A lovely one-pot wonder, this comforting chicken dish uses breasts, thighs and drumsticks for full-on flavour. Its sauciness makes it perfect for serving with couscous, rice or mashed potatoes.

Friday night: Sirloin with gorgonzola and bacon sauce and avocado salad
Treat your taste buds to a wild ride – it’s the weekend! This delicious sirloin recipe, which calls for gorgonzola and bacon sauce (with garlic and cream), and seasonal avocado salad to cut the heaviness, was one of the favourites in Woolworths TASTE magazine’s winter Readers’ Issue.

Need more ideas? Read our previous instalment of a week’s meals, or visit our tips and tricks page for ideas with soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, cooking with winter fruit and other great kitchen tips.