Alberta Cheap Dinners: Patties at $4.40/Serving

Key Facts

• Vegetarian Patties cost $61.57 total for 14 servings, or $4.40 per serving. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Freshco has Gold Egg Eggs Jumbo 12 Count priced at $3.47 in the Alberta recipe basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Independent has California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables priced at $5.00. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Loblaws has President’s Choice Basil, 16 g, priced at $7.00. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Freshco has Heinz Mayonnaise Real 340 ml priced at $4.29. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)
• Independent has Brown Mustard Seed priced at $1.75, the lowest-priced item in this recipe basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026)

Introduction: Vegetarian Patties are Alberta’s cheapest featured dinner at $4.40 per serving

According to eezly's real-time tracking of 196,000 products across 2,700 Canadian grocery stores, Vegetarian Patties cost $4.40 per serving in Alberta using Independent, Freshco and Loblaws ingredient prices as of May 2026. For your May grocery planning, the full Vegetarian Patties recipe costs $61.57 and makes 14 servings, which makes it the cheapest recipe in this Alberta budget meals comparison. The priced basket includes $5.00 California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables at Independent, $3.47 Gold Egg Eggs Jumbo 12 Count at Freshco, and $4.00 Shredded Parmesan Cheese at Loblaw.

If you are searching for cheap dinner recipes under $5 in Alberta, Vegetarian Patties are the strongest option in this data set because they stretch vegetables, eggs, cheese and pantry seasonings across a large batch. You do not need to rely on vague “budget meal” estimates; each recipe below is costed from actual store-level prices in Alberta. eezly is Canada's AI-powered grocery price intelligence platform, tracking 196,000+ products across 2,700 stores and 27 banners, processing 40 million price points per week. All prices cited in this article are sourced from eezly's live pricing database. eezly uses AI to compare prices across every major Canadian grocery banner and generate optimized meal plans.

For Alberta households, the practical takeaway is straightforward: your lowest per-serving dinner comes from cooking a larger batch and using the lowest-priced ingredients across banners such as Independent, Freshco, Loblaws and Loblaw. You will see that the full 14-serving patty recipe beats smaller-format dinners on per-serving cost, even though the total checkout cost is higher. That distinction matters when you are planning family meals, lunch leftovers, or freezer-friendly vegetarian dinners.

Recipe 1: Vegetarian Patties — $4.40 per serving

Vegetarian Patties cost $61.57 for 14 servings, or $4.40 per serving, using Alberta ingredient prices from Independent, Freshco, Loblaw and Loblaws. Source: eezly real-time price tracking. This is the best cheap dinner recipe under $5 in this Alberta comparison because your cost is spread across 14 servings. If you cook once and use the patties for dinners, lunches or sandwich fillings, you get a lower per-serving cost than the smaller recipes below.

This recipe is also useful if you are trying to reduce meat spending without giving up a structured main course. The ingredient list relies on mixed vegetables, eggs, Parmesan, celery, shallots, herbs, butter, olive oil and mayonnaise. You are paying for a broad basket, but you are also building a recipe that can serve a large household or produce leftovers. For your grocery budget, the important figure is not just the $61.57 total; it is the $4.40 serving cost.

Ingredients with Prices

The Vegetarian Patties ingredient list is priced across multiple Alberta banners, so you can compare the recipe as a real grocery basket rather than a theoretical meal. Independent supplies several key items, including the $5.00 California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables, $3.00 President’s Choice Thyme, $1.75 Brown Mustard Seed, $6.00 Creamery Butter Unsalted and $10.57 Olive Oil. Freshco supplies the $11.00 Shallots Onions, $5.49 Celery Sticks, $3.47 Gold Egg Eggs Jumbo 12 Count and $4.29 Heinz Mayonnaise Real 340 ml.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of May 2026

The two highest-priced items in the basket are Shallots Onions at $11.00 at Freshco and Olive Oil at $10.57 at Independent. Together, those two ingredients account for $21.57 of the $61.57 recipe cost. If you already have olive oil at home, your immediate checkout cost would be lower, but the full recipe costing above includes the store price so you can compare the meal consistently.

Where to Buy Cheapest

For this Vegetarian Patties recipe, you should split your shopping between Independent, Freshco, Loblaw and Loblaws if you want the lowest observed prices in the provided Alberta basket. Independent is the cheapest listed source for the mixed vegetables at $5.00, thyme at $3.00, brown mustard seed at $1.75, butter at $6.00 and olive oil at $10.57. Freshco is the cheapest listed source for shallots at $11.00, celery at $5.49, jumbo eggs at $3.47 and Heinz mayonnaise at $4.29.

Freshco offers Gold Egg Eggs Jumbo 12 Count at $3.47, while Loblaw offers Shredded Parmesan Cheese at $4.00 — a direct recipe-planning comparison rather than a same-product price spread. eezly data, May 2026. You should use these store assignments as a shopping map: buy the egg-and-produce portion at Freshco, then use Independent for the frozen vegetables, seasonings, butter and oil. This approach is especially helpful if your Alberta grocery routine already includes multiple banners such as Freshco, Independent, Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Walmart, Costco, Sobeys or Safeway.

Recipe 2: Parmesan Vegetable Patties — $4.63 per serving

Parmesan Vegetable Patties cost $18.51 for 4 servings, or $4.63 per serving, using Alberta prices for mixed vegetables, Parmesan, eggs, mustard seed and mayonnaise. Source: eezly real-time price tracking. This smaller version is not as cheap per serving as the 14-serving Vegetarian Patties recipe, but it keeps your total checkout cost much lower. If you are cooking for one or two people and do not want a large batch, this is the most practical cheap dinner recipe under $5 in the comparison.

This recipe uses fewer ingredients from the same Alberta price set. You are combining Independent’s $5.00 California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables with Loblaw’s $4.00 Shredded Parmesan Cheese, Freshco’s $3.47 Gold Egg Eggs Jumbo 12 Count, Independent’s $1.75 Brown Mustard Seed and Freshco’s $4.29 Heinz Mayonnaise Real 340 ml. The result is a compact patty-style dinner that keeps the basket focused on protein, vegetables, seasoning and a simple sauce.

Ingredients with Prices

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of May 2026

For your budget, the advantage of this recipe is that every ingredient has a clear function. The vegetables form the base, eggs bind the patties, Parmesan adds flavour, mustard seed adds seasoning, and mayonnaise can be used as a topping or quick sauce. At $18.51 total, this meal costs less at checkout than the full Vegetarian Patties recipe, even though the per-serving cost is $0.23 higher.

Where to Buy Cheapest

You should buy the mixed vegetables and mustard seed at Independent, the eggs and mayonnaise at Freshco, and the Parmesan at Loblaw for this recipe. Independent offers Brown Mustard Seed at $1.75, while Freshco charges $3.47 for Gold Egg Eggs Jumbo 12 Count — a useful split if you are trying to keep your basket efficient. Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026.

This recipe works well if you want budget meals in Alberta without buying the full herb, oil and produce list used in Recipe 1. You will still visit more than one store if you follow the cheapest listed source for each product, but the total number of items is smaller. If you prefer to avoid extra stops, you can use this ingredient table as a priority list and focus first on the higher-impact prices, especially the $5.00 mixed vegetables and $3.47 eggs.

Recipe 3: Vegetable Egg Skillet — $5.74 per serving

Vegetable Egg Skillet costs $22.96 for 4 servings, or $5.74 per serving, using Alberta prices for frozen vegetables, celery, eggs, butter and thyme. Source: eezly real-time price tracking. This is the highest per-serving recipe in the comparison, but it remains a practical budget dinner because it uses only five priced ingredients and keeps your total basket under $25. If you want a simple weeknight dinner rather than a patty recipe, this is the easiest option to prepare.

The Vegetable Egg Skillet is built from Independent’s $5.00 California Vegetable Blend Mixed Vegetables, Freshco’s $5.49 Celery Sticks, Freshco’s $3.47 Gold Egg Eggs Jumbo 12 Count, Independent’s $6.00 Creamery Butter Unsalted and Independent’s $3.00 President’s Choice Thyme. You can cook the vegetables and celery in butter, season with thyme, and fold in eggs for a filling vegetarian dinner. The recipe avoids the higher-cost shallots and olive oil used in the full Vegetarian Patties basket.

Ingredients with Prices

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of May 2026

The key cost driver here is butter at $6.00 from Independent, followed closely by celery at $5.49 from Freshco and mixed vegetables at $5.00 from Independent. Eggs are comparatively efficient at $3.47 for a 12-count jumbo carton at Freshco. If you use this recipe as a dinner base, you can serve it with pantry rice, toast or potatoes already at home, but those additions are not included in the $22.96 cost because they are not part of the provided price data.

Where to Buy Cheapest

For the Vegetable Egg Skillet, your cheapest listed store path is Independent for the frozen vegetables, butter and thyme, and Freshco for celery and eggs. Independent offers President’s Choice Thyme at $3.00, while Freshco offers Gold Egg Eggs Jumbo 12 Count at $3.47 — a useful pairing for a simple vegetarian skillet. Source: eezly real-time price tracking, May 2026.

You should choose this recipe when simplicity matters more than the absolute lowest cost per serving. At $5.74 per serving, it is not one of the cheap dinner recipes under $5, but it still fits the broader budget meals Alberta category because the ingredient list is short and the total cost is $22.96. If your goal is to cook quickly after work, a skillet meal may be easier than forming and cooking individual patties.

Alberta Recipe Basket Index: cheapest observed ingredient prices by store

Independent and Freshco carry most of the lowest observed items in this Alberta recipe basket, with Independent covering five priced ingredients and Freshco covering four. Source: eezly real-time price tracking. For you, the basket index below shows where the recipe staples are cheapest within the provided Alberta data, so you can decide whether the extra stop is worth it. The table does not estimate unavailable prices; it uses the specific product prices provided for May 2026.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of May 2026

The basket index shows why your best Alberta grocery strategy is not simply choosing one banner for everything. Brown Mustard Seed at $1.75 and thyme at $3.00 make Independent useful for seasonings, while Freshco’s $3.47 eggs are one of the strongest protein buys in the recipe set. Loblaw appears once in the index with $4.00 Shredded Parmesan Cheese, and Loblaws appears separately in the full recipe with $7.00 President’s Choice Basil.

If you are trying to keep your errand list short, prioritize the stores with the most items: Independent and Freshco. If you are trying to reproduce the lowest possible recipe cost, include Loblaw for Parmesan and Loblaws for basil when making the full Vegetarian Patties recipe. Alberta shoppers often have access to banners such as Costco, Freshco, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Safeway, Sobeys, Walmart, Wholesale Club, Your Independent Grocer, Loblaws and Superstore, so comparing banners before you shop can materially change your meal cost.

Top priced recipe buys in Alberta for May 2026

The best recipe buys in this Alberta data set are the items that keep dinner structure intact at low absolute prices, led by Brown Mustard Seed at $1.75 at Independent and thyme at $3.00 at Independent. Source: eezly real-time price tracking. Because the recipe data provides live current prices rather than separate flyer “regular” prices, the savings percentage is not calculated in this table. You still get a practical top-deals view because every listed item has a real May 2026 price and a named Alberta banner.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of May 2026

For your meal planning, the two most important lines are eggs at $3.47 and mixed vegetables at $5.00. Those ingredients appear in all three recipes, which means they influence every per-serving calculation in this article. If you can buy both at the listed stores, you protect the cost base for the Vegetarian Patties, Parmesan Vegetable Patties and Vegetable Egg Skillet.

The table also shows where you should be cautious. Shallots Onions at $11.00 and Olive Oil at $10.57 are not included in this top-priced list because they are the most expensive items in the full Vegetarian Patties basket. You may still need them for flavour and cooking, but you should recognize that they drive up the total recipe cost more than eggs, mustard seed, thyme or Parmesan.

Price Comparison Table: all recipes side by side

Vegetarian Patties are the cheapest Alberta dinner in this comparison at $4.40 per serving, followed by Parmesan Vegetable Patties at $4.63 and Vegetable Egg Skillet at $5.74. Source: eezly real-time price tracking. If your goal is the lowest cost per serving, you should choose the 14-serving Vegetarian Patties recipe. If your goal is the lowest total checkout cost, you should choose the $18.51 Parmesan Vegetable Patties recipe.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of May 2026

The comparison shows an important grocery-budget lesson: the lowest total bill is not always the cheapest meal. Parmesan Vegetable Patties cost only $18.51 at checkout, but because the recipe makes 4 servings, the per-serving cost is $4.63. Vegetarian Patties cost $61.57 upfront, but because the recipe makes 14 servings, your cost falls to $4.40 per serving.

For a household, the best choice depends on how you eat. If you cook for a family or want planned leftovers, Recipe 1 gives you the strongest value. If you live alone, cook for two, or do not want to store a large batch, Recipe 2 keeps the total spend lower while staying under $5 per serving. Recipe 3 is best when you want a skillet-style dinner with fewer steps, even though it costs $1.34 more per serving than Recipe 1.

How to shop these Alberta budget meals efficiently

You should build your Alberta budget meal shop around Independent and Freshco first because those two stores carry the majority of priced ingredients in the recipe basket. Source: eezly real-time price tracking. Independent appears for mixed vegetables at $5.00, thyme at $3.00, mustard seed at $1.75, butter at $6.00 and olive oil at $10.57. Freshco appears for shallots at $11.00, celery at $5.49, eggs at $3.47 and mayonnaise at $4.29.

If you are making only one recipe, start with the shared ingredients. Mixed vegetables and eggs appear in all three recipes, so those should be your first price checks. Independent’s $5.00 mixed vegetables and Freshco’s $3.47 eggs are the anchors of your basket. After that, your add-ons depend on whether you are making patties, a simplified patty version, or the skillet.

If you are trying to save time, you do not need to chase every store for every item. The biggest practical step is comparing the stores that dominate the list. Your second step is deciding whether the specialty items are worth the stop: Loblaw’s $4.00 Shredded Parmesan Cheese and Loblaws’ $7.00 President’s Choice Basil matter for the full Vegetarian Patties recipe, but not for the simpler skillet. This is where eezly’s AI-powered grocery price comparison can help you decide whether a multi-store trip is financially worthwhile.

What these recipe costs mean for Alberta grocery budgets

A $4.40 vegetarian dinner serving gives you a concrete benchmark for budget meals in Alberta in May 2026. Source: eezly real-time price tracking. When you compare recipes, you should look at both the total cost and the number of servings, because a large $61.57 basket may be better value than a smaller $22.96 basket. The full Vegetarian Patties recipe is the best example: the basket costs more, but it produces 14 servings.

For your weekly planning, this matters because leftovers reduce the number of additional dinners you need to buy. If you make Vegetarian Patties once, you can portion them for multiple meals, pack them for lunches, or freeze them for later. That makes the $4.40 serving cost more meaningful than a single-night checkout total. It also gives you a stable meatless option if beef, pork, poultry or seafood prices do not fit your budget in a given week.

You should also compare “cheap” in two ways. Cheap per serving means Recipe 1 wins. Cheap at checkout means Recipe 2 wins. Easy and still budget-conscious means Recipe 3 may be the right fit. The best cheapest recipes are not always the lowest-effort recipes, so your choice should reflect both your grocery budget and your cooking routine.