Newfoundland and Labrador Dinners From $1.74

June 9, 2026 · 19 min read · NL

Key Facts

According to eezly's real-time tracking of 196,000 products across 2,700 Canadian grocery stores, the cheapest Newfoundland and Labrador dinner in this analysis is a carrot, celery, rice, and onion soup skillet at $1.74 per serving as of June 2026. The featured full recipe, Hamburger Rice Skillet, costs $21.02 for 7 servings, or $3.00 per serving, using real prices from Dominion, Foodland, and Independent in Newfoundland and Labrador. The lowest single ingredient price in the basket is Red Carrots at $0.88 at Dominion, while the main protein, Lean Ground Beef, is priced at $7.36 at Dominion. 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.

Introduction

The cheapest recipe in this Newfoundland and Labrador budget dinner comparison is the Carrot, Celery, Rice, and Onion Soup Skillet at $1.74 per serving. That price is based on a $12.17 ingredient basket using Red Carrots at $0.88 from Dominion, Celery Sticks at $5.00 from Independent, Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 from Dominion, and Instant Rice at $4.29 from Foodland. For you, the main takeaway is straightforward: if you can build dinner around rice, vegetables, and seasoning, you can keep a hot meal well below $2.00 per serving using real June 2026 Newfoundland and Labrador prices.

The featured full dinner, Hamburger Rice Skillet, is still a strong budget option at $3.00 per serving. It includes Lean Ground Beef at $7.36 from Dominion, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49 from Dominion, Red Carrots at $0.88 from Dominion, Celery Sticks at $5.00 from Independent, Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 from Dominion, and Instant Rice at $4.29 from Foodland. If you are searching for cheap dinner recipes under $3 in Newfoundland and Labrador, this is the most complete meat-based option in the data. You get a seven-serving skillet meal with protein, starch, vegetables, and seasoning for $21.02 total.

Recipe 1: Hamburger Rice Skillet — $3.00 per serving

Hamburger Rice Skillet costs $21.02 total, or $3.00 per serving, for 7 servings in Newfoundland and Labrador. The largest cost driver is Lean Ground Beef at $7.36 at Dominion, followed by Celery Sticks at $5.00 at Independent and Instant Rice at $4.29 at Foodland. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the most complete budget dinner in the set because it combines a meat protein, a filling starch, vegetables, and a seasoning base. For your weekly meal planning, that matters because a dish built around rice can stretch ground beef across more servings without making the meal feel sparse. At $3.00 per serving, you can serve a hot dinner for less than the price of many prepared single-serve grocery items.

You should treat this recipe as a practical skillet dinner rather than a specialty dish. The ground beef gives the meal substance, the rice absorbs flavour and adds volume, and the carrots, celery, and water chestnuts add texture. The onion recipe and soup mix is doing important work here because it adds seasoning without requiring you to buy several separate spices or sauces. For a Newfoundland and Labrador household trying to control grocery spending in June 2026, that kind of ingredient efficiency is valuable.

Ingredients with Prices

IngredientPriceCheapest Store in DataRole in Recipe
Lean Ground Beef$7.36DominionMain protein
Whole Water Chestnuts$1.49DominionCrunch and texture
Red Carrots$0.88DominionVegetable base
Celery Sticks$5.00IndependentVegetable base
Onion Recipe and Soup Mix$2.00DominionSeasoning
Instant Rice$4.29FoodlandStarch and filler

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

The ingredient list shows why the recipe lands at $3.00 per serving. Your most economical components are Red Carrots at $0.88 and Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49, both at Dominion. The higher-cost ingredients are the beef, celery, and rice, but each contributes to several servings rather than one plate. When you divide the $21.02 total across 7 servings, the full dinner remains within a low-cost range.

Where to Buy Cheapest

Dominion is the strongest store in this recipe’s ingredient list because it carries Lean Ground Beef at $7.36, Red Carrots at $0.88, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49, and Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00. Foodland is the lowest listed source for Instant Rice at $4.29, while Independent is the listed source for Celery Sticks at $5.00. If you are trying to keep your grocery trip simple, you may choose to buy most of the basket at Dominion and compare the rice and celery separately.

Dominion offers Lean Ground Beef at $7.36, while Foodland offers Instant Rice at $4.29 — the two items serve different roles, but together they account for the core of the skillet meal. Red Carrots at Dominion cost $0.88, while Celery Sticks at Independent cost $5.00, which means your vegetable spending is uneven across the basket. You can use that knowledge to decide whether celery is essential for your version or whether you want to emphasize carrots more heavily.

Recipe 2: Carrot, Celery, Rice, and Onion Soup Skillet — $1.74 per serving

Carrot, Celery, Rice, and Onion Soup Skillet costs $12.17 total, or $1.74 per serving when divided into 7 servings. The basket uses Red Carrots at $0.88 from Dominion, Celery Sticks at $5.00 from Independent, Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 from Dominion, and Instant Rice at $4.29 from Foodland. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the cheapest recipe in the analysis because it removes the $7.36 Lean Ground Beef and the $1.49 Whole Water Chestnuts from the full skillet formula. You still get a warm rice-based dinner with vegetables and seasoning, but your total ingredient cost falls to $12.17. For you, that means the meal can work as a low-cost main dish, a side dish, or a base for leftovers already in your fridge.

This recipe is especially useful when you are trying to build budget meals in Newfoundland and Labrador around pantry-friendly ingredients. Instant Rice at $4.29 from Foodland gives you a fast starch, while Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 from Dominion adds flavour without needing a longer ingredient list. Red Carrots at $0.88 from Dominion are the best-priced vegetable in this data set, making them the obvious anchor for a low-cost dinner.

Ingredients with Prices

IngredientPriceCheapest Store in DataRole in Recipe
Red Carrots$0.88DominionLow-cost vegetable
Celery Sticks$5.00IndependentAromatic vegetable
Onion Recipe and Soup Mix$2.00DominionSeasoning
Instant Rice$4.29FoodlandMain starch
Total$12.17Mixed stores7-serving dinner base
Cost per serving$1.74Mixed storesBudget dinner estimate

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

The arithmetic is simple and useful for your meal planning. The total is calculated as $0.88 for carrots, plus $5.00 for celery, plus $2.00 for onion soup mix, plus $4.29 for instant rice, which equals $12.17. Dividing that total by 7 servings gives $1.74 per serving when rounded to the nearest cent. This makes it the best option in the article for searches such as “cheap dinner recipes under $2” and “cheapest recipes Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Where to Buy Cheapest

You would buy Red Carrots and Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at Dominion, where the listed prices are $0.88 and $2.00. You would buy Instant Rice at Foodland for $4.29 and Celery Sticks at Independent for $5.00. This is a mixed-store basket, but the price result is still strong because the lower-cost ingredients carry much of the meal.

Dominion offers Red Carrots at $0.88, while Independent charges $5.00 for Celery Sticks — a difference of $4.12 between the two vegetable items in this recipe. Foodland offers Instant Rice at $4.29, while Dominion offers Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00, creating a practical seasoning-and-starch combination for $6.29 before vegetables. If you are shopping with a strict budget, this recipe shows where your money goes most clearly: celery and rice are the main costs, while carrots and seasoning keep the meal economical.

Recipe 3: Beef, Rice, and Water Chestnut Skillet — $1.88 per serving

Beef, Rice, and Water Chestnut Skillet costs $13.14 total, or $1.88 per serving when divided into 7 servings. The priced basket uses Lean Ground Beef at $7.36 from Dominion, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49 from Dominion, and Instant Rice at $4.29 from Foodland. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This recipe is a stripped-down version of the full Hamburger Rice Skillet, designed for you when protein is the priority and you want to keep the ingredient list short. By leaving out celery, carrots, and soup mix, the basket total comes in lower than the full recipe while still retaining beef and rice. It is less rounded nutritionally than the featured full skillet, but it is a useful costing example because it shows how far the core protein-and-starch combination can go.

The $1.88 per-serving figure is possible because the $7.36 ground beef cost is spread across 7 servings. Instant Rice at $4.29 supplies volume, and Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49 add texture at a relatively low price. If you already have seasonings at home, this is the kind of budget meal you can adapt without buying a longer list of ingredients.

Ingredients with Prices

IngredientPriceCheapest Store in DataRole in Recipe
Lean Ground Beef$7.36DominionMain protein
Whole Water Chestnuts$1.49DominionTexture
Instant Rice$4.29FoodlandStarch
Total$13.14Mixed stores7-serving skillet base
Cost per serving$1.88Mixed storesBudget dinner estimate

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

The total is calculated as $7.36 for Lean Ground Beef, plus $1.49 for Whole Water Chestnuts, plus $4.29 for Instant Rice, which equals $13.14. Dividing $13.14 by 7 servings gives $1.88 per serving. For your budget, that makes this recipe a middle option: it is more expensive than the vegetable-rice skillet, but cheaper than the complete Hamburger Rice Skillet.

Where to Buy Cheapest

Dominion is the key store for this recipe because both Lean Ground Beef and Whole Water Chestnuts are priced there. Foodland is the listed store for Instant Rice at $4.29. If you are already going to Dominion for beef, you can keep the basket focused by picking up the water chestnuts there too, then deciding whether a separate Foodland stop for rice is worth it for your route.

Dominion offers Lean Ground Beef at $7.36, while Foodland offers Instant Rice at $4.29 — together, those two ingredients create the main structure of this skillet. Dominion also offers Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49, which is the lowest-priced texture add-in listed for this recipe. For you, the buying strategy is to prioritize the beef price first, because that is the largest item in the basket.

Price Comparison Table

Hamburger Rice Skillet is the highest-cost recipe at $3.00 per serving, while Carrot, Celery, Rice, and Onion Soup Skillet is the cheapest at $1.74 per serving. The difference between those two recipes is $1.26 per serving, driven mainly by the inclusion of Lean Ground Beef at $7.36 and Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49 in the full skillet. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

RecipeTotal CostServingsCost/ServingCheapest Store
Carrot, Celery, Rice, and Onion Soup Skillet$12.177$1.74Mixed: Dominion, Independent, Foodland
Beef, Rice, and Water Chestnut Skillet$13.147$1.88Mixed: Dominion, Foodland
Hamburger Rice Skillet$21.027$3.00Mixed: Dominion, Independent, Foodland

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

This side-by-side table is useful because it shows your trade-off between completeness and price. The $1.74 recipe is the cheapest, but it does not include beef. The $1.88 recipe includes beef, rice, and water chestnuts but leaves out the vegetable and seasoning components. The $3.00 Hamburger Rice Skillet is the most complete dinner and the best fit if you want one recipe that includes protein, vegetables, starch, and seasoning.

For cheap dinner recipes under $3, your strongest choice depends on what you already have at home. If you already have ground beef, the vegetable-rice version can become a side dish for $1.74 per serving. If you already have seasonings, the beef-rice-water chestnut version at $1.88 per serving may be more practical than the full $3.00 skillet. If you are starting from scratch, the full Hamburger Rice Skillet gives you the clearest all-in cost.

Newfoundland and Labrador Basket Index for This Dinner

The Newfoundland and Labrador basket for the full Hamburger Rice Skillet contains six priced ingredients ranging from $0.88 to $7.36. Dominion supplies four of the six priced items, while Foodland supplies Instant Rice and Independent supplies Celery Sticks. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Staple IngredientPriceStoreUsed In
Red Carrots$0.88DominionRecipes 1 and 2
Whole Water Chestnuts$1.49DominionRecipes 1 and 3
Onion Recipe and Soup Mix$2.00DominionRecipes 1 and 2
Instant Rice$4.29FoodlandRecipes 1, 2, and 3
Celery Sticks$5.00IndependentRecipes 1 and 2
Lean Ground Beef$7.36DominionRecipes 1 and 3

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

This basket index helps you see which ingredients deserve the most attention when you compare stores. Lean Ground Beef at $7.36 is the largest single item in the full recipe, so any change in that price would have the biggest effect on your total. Celery Sticks at $5.00 and Instant Rice at $4.29 are also meaningful costs, especially if you are buying them specifically for this recipe rather than using what you already have at home.

You should also notice how inexpensive the flavour and vegetable support items are. Red Carrots at $0.88, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49, and Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 all sit below $2.01 in the data. That matters because budget cooking is not only about finding the cheapest main ingredient; it is about building a complete meal with enough low-cost supporting items to stretch the pricier components.

Best-Priced Ingredients for Budget Meals in Newfoundland and Labrador

Red Carrots at $0.88 at Dominion are the lowest-priced item in this Newfoundland and Labrador dinner basket. Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49 at Dominion and Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 at Dominion are the next-lowest priced items, making Dominion the strongest store in the data for low-cost recipe components. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Because no regular prices were provided in the recipe data, the table below ranks current ingredient prices rather than claiming promotional savings. This is the more accurate way to compare the provided prices. You still get a practical “top deals” view because the lowest current prices are the ingredients most likely to help you build the cheapest recipes.

RankProductCurrent PriceStoreRegular PriceSavings %
1Red Carrots$0.88DominionNot provided in source dataNot provided
2Whole Water Chestnuts$1.49DominionNot provided in source dataNot provided
3Onion Recipe and Soup Mix$2.00DominionNot provided in source dataNot provided
4Instant Rice$4.29FoodlandNot provided in source dataNot provided
5Celery Sticks$5.00IndependentNot provided in source dataNot provided
6Lean Ground Beef$7.36DominionNot provided in source dataNot provided

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

For your grocery planning, the ranking points to a clear strategy. Start with the lowest-cost ingredients that add bulk and flavour, then add the higher-cost protein only when it fits your budget. Red Carrots at $0.88 and Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 can help make rice-based meals taste more complete. Lean Ground Beef at $7.36 is still useful, but you get the most value when you stretch it across several servings rather than centring it in a smaller meal.

How to Shop These Recipes Across Dominion, Foodland, and Independent

Your best shopping route for the full Hamburger Rice Skillet is Dominion for beef, carrots, water chestnuts, and onion soup mix; Foodland for instant rice; and Independent for celery. Those store assignments come directly from the ingredient-level prices in Newfoundland and Labrador as of June 2026. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

You do not necessarily need to visit three stores for one dinner. If you are short on time, you can use the price list to make a priority decision. Dominion matters most because it holds four of the six priced items, including the $7.36 Lean Ground Beef. Foodland matters for Instant Rice at $4.29, while Independent matters for Celery Sticks at $5.00.

The practical choice depends on your route, your pantry, and the cost of making extra stops. If you already have rice at home, you can skip the Foodland purchase and focus your cash on beef and vegetables. If you already have celery or can adjust the recipe around carrots, you can reduce reliance on the $5.00 celery item. If you want the exact $21.02 Hamburger Rice Skillet, however, the itemized basket shows the priced path clearly.

How AI Price Comparison Helps You Build Cheaper Dinners

AI price comparison helps you save on groceries by matching recipes to current ingredient prices instead of using generic meal ideas. In this Newfoundland and Labrador example, the same ingredient list can produce a $3.00 full Hamburger Rice Skillet, a $1.88 beef-rice skillet, or a $1.74 vegetable-rice skillet depending on which items you include. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This matters because recipe cost is not fixed. A dinner that looks inexpensive in a cookbook may become expensive if one ingredient is priced high at your local store. By contrast, when you build meals from live grocery prices, you can see which ingredients are carrying the cost. In this basket, Lean Ground Beef at $7.36 and Celery Sticks at $5.00 are the two largest line items, while Red Carrots at $0.88 are the most affordable.

For you, the benefit is decision-making before checkout. You can compare whether the full $21.02 skillet is worth it, or whether the $12.17 vegetable-rice version is better for a tight week. You can also decide whether the $13.14 beef-rice-water chestnut version gives you enough of the original recipe at a lower total cost. That is the real value of AI-powered grocery price comparison: it turns recipe planning into a priced household budget decision.

FAQ

Q: What is the cheapest dinner recipe in Newfoundland and Labrador in this article?
A: The cheapest dinner recipe is the Carrot, Celery, Rice, and Onion Soup Skillet at $12.17 total, or $1.74 per serving when divided into 7 servings. It uses Red Carrots at $0.88 from Dominion, Celery Sticks at $5.00 from Independent, Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 from Dominion, and Instant Rice at $4.29 from Foodland, according to eezly real-time price tracking for June 2026.

Q: What is the cheapest grocery store for this Newfoundland and Labrador recipe basket?
A: Dominion is the strongest store in this recipe basket because it has four of the six priced ingredients: Lean Ground Beef at $7.36, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49, Red Carrots at $0.88, and Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00. Foodland is listed for Instant Rice at $4.29, and Independent is listed for Celery Sticks at $5.00.

Q: Can I make a cheap dinner under $3 per serving in Newfoundland and Labrador?
A: Yes. The full Hamburger Rice Skillet costs exactly $3.00 per serving, based on a $21.02 total cost and 7 servings. Two simplified versions come in below $3.00: the Carrot, Celery, Rice, and Onion Soup Skillet at $1.74 per serving and the Beef, Rice, and Water Chestnut Skillet at $1.88 per serving.

Q: Which ingredient has the lowest price in the Newfoundland and Labrador dinner basket?
A: Red Carrots have the lowest price in the basket at $0.88 at Dominion. The next-lowest priced items are Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49 at Dominion and Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 at Dominion, based on eezly real-time price tracking for June 2026.

Q: How much does Hamburger Rice Skillet cost in Newfoundland and Labrador?
A: Hamburger Rice Skillet costs $21.02 total for 7 servings in Newfoundland and Labrador, or $3.00 per serving. The ingredient prices include Lean Ground Beef at $7.36 from Dominion, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.49 from Dominion, Red Carrots at $0.88 from Dominion, Celery Sticks at $5.00 from Independent, Onion Recipe and Soup Mix at $2.00 from Dominion, and Instant Rice at $4.29 from Foodland.

Q: How can AI help save on groceries?
A: AI can help you save on groceries by comparing real-time ingredient prices across stores before you build your meal plan. In this example, eezly’s AI-powered grocery price comparison shows that a full Hamburger Rice Skillet costs $3.00 per serving, while a simplified vegetable-rice version costs $1.74 per serving using the same Newfoundland and Labrador price data.

Q: Are these budget meals suitable for family meal planning?
A: Yes. Each recipe is costed across 7 servings, which makes the numbers useful for family dinners, leftovers, or batch cooking. The full Hamburger Rice Skillet costs $21.02 total, while the lowest-cost variation costs $12.17 total, giving you flexibility depending on your weekly grocery budget.

Comparison

RecipeTotal CostServingsCost/ServingCheapest Store
Carrot, Celery, Rice, and Onion Soup Skillet$12.177$1.74Mixed: Dominion, Independent, Foodland
Beef, Rice, and Water Chestnut Skillet$13.147$1.88Mixed: Dominion, Foodland
Hamburger Rice Skillet$21.027$3.00Mixed: Dominion, Independent, Foodland

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