Ontario Cheap Dinner Recipes: Beef and Broccoli at $7.59

Key Facts

• Beef and Broccoli costs $45.53 for 6 servings in Ontario, or $7.59 per serving. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Flank Steak, London Broil is priced at $14.71 at Fortinos. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauce Broccoli Beef 140 ml is priced at $2.19 at Food Basics. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Broccoli Florets are priced at $3.99 at Fortinos. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Minced Garlic is priced at $1.76 at Fortinos, the lowest-priced item in the basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Portabellini Baby Mushrooms are priced at $9.90 at Foodland. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)

Introduction: The Cheapest Dinner in This Ontario Recipe Set Starts at $3.69 per Serving

The cheapest dinner recipe in this Ontario costing is Mushroom Broccoli Stir-Fry at $3.69 per serving, based on a $22.12 four-serving basket using Food Basics, Fortinos, and Foodland prices. The lowest complete meat-based option is Beef and Broccoli at $7.59 per serving, with a total ingredient cost of $45.53 for six servings. If you are searching for cheap dinner recipes under $8 in Ontario, the strongest value in this data is not one single store but a split-shop basket: Food Basics for vegetable oil, pickled onions, and stir-fry sauce; Fortinos for garlic, flank steak, and broccoli; and Foodland for mushrooms.

For Ontario households, the important lesson is that budget meals Ontario shoppers can actually use often come from comparing ingredient-level prices, not from assuming one banner is always cheapest. Food Basics offers Mazola Vegetable Oil 1.18 L at $8.99 and Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauce at $2.19, while Fortinos offers Minced Garlic at $1.76 and Broccoli Florets at $3.99. Foodland is the listed source for Portabellini Baby Mushrooms at $9.90. These prices make it possible to build several dinners from overlapping ingredients, which is one of the most practical ways to reduce your per-serving cost without relying on vague “pantry staple” assumptions.

Recipe 1: Beef and Broccoli — $7.59 per Serving

Beef and Broccoli costs $45.53 in Ontario, or $7.59 per serving for six servings, using June 2026 prices from Food Basics, Fortinos, and Foodland. This is the highest-cost recipe in the set because flank steak is the main protein at $14.71 from Fortinos, but it remains a structured budget dinner because the sauce, garlic, and broccoli are relatively low-cost supporting ingredients. If you want a familiar weeknight meal with meat, vegetables, and a prepared sauce, this is the most complete dinner in the available Ontario price data.

You should treat this recipe as a planned basket rather than a single-store shop. Food Basics supplies Mazola Vegetable Oil at $8.99, Pickled Onions at $3.99, and Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauce Broccoli Beef 140 ml at $2.19. Fortinos supplies Minced Garlic at $1.76, Flank Steak, London Broil at $14.71, and Broccoli Florets at $3.99. Foodland supplies Portabellini Baby Mushrooms at $9.90. When you combine these exact items, the total comes to $45.53, matching the recipe cost in eezly's real-time tracking.

For preparation, slice the flank steak thinly across the grain, cook it quickly in a small amount of vegetable oil, then add minced garlic, mushrooms, and broccoli florets. The Blue Dragon Broccoli Beef sauce provides the main seasoning, while pickled onions can be used as a sharp topping or side garnish to cut through the richness of the beef. Because this recipe serves six, it is best suited to a family dinner or to a smaller household that wants leftovers for lunch. Your effective value improves if you use the remaining oil in later meals, although the full bottle price is counted in this recipe costing to keep the arithmetic transparent.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

The cheapest listed Beef and Broccoli basket is split across Food Basics, Fortinos, and Foodland, with the full six-serving meal priced at $45.53. Food Basics is the best source in this basket for Mazola Vegetable Oil at $8.99, Pickled Onions at $3.99, and Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauce at $2.19. Fortinos is the best source in this basket for Minced Garlic at $1.76, Flank Steak at $14.71, and Broccoli Florets at $3.99. Foodland is the listed source for Portabellini Baby Mushrooms at $9.90.

If you are deciding whether to make this dinner, focus first on the flank steak. At $14.71, it accounts for the largest single line item in the recipe, so your meal cost is most sensitive to that purchase. The next-largest item is the mushrooms at $9.90, followed by vegetable oil at $8.99. If you already have cooking oil at home, your out-of-pocket trip cost would be lower, but the recipe cost here includes the full listed price because the goal is a complete grocery-basket comparison.

Recipe 2: Mushroom Broccoli Stir-Fry — $3.69 per Serving

Mushroom Broccoli Stir-Fry costs $22.12 in Ontario, or $3.69 per serving when portioned into six servings, using the vegetable-forward ingredients from the same June 2026 price set. This is the cheapest recipe in the article because it removes the $14.71 flank steak and the $3.99 pickled onions while keeping the sauce, garlic, mushrooms, broccoli, and cooking oil. If you are looking for cheapest recipes that still feel like dinner rather than a side dish, this is the strongest budget option in the available Ontario data.

The core basket is simple: Mazola Vegetable Oil at $8.99 from Food Basics, Minced Garlic at $1.76 from Fortinos, Portabellini Baby Mushrooms at $9.90 from Foodland, Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauce at $2.19 from Food Basics, and Broccoli Florets at $3.99 from Fortinos. Those items add up to $26.83 if you include the full bottle of oil. If you allocate only part of the oil cost to this meal, the dinner becomes cheaper in practice, but for this article’s strict recipe costing, the itemized grocery purchase remains the clearest number.

For a practical dinner, you would cook the garlic briefly in oil, add the mushrooms until browned, then add the broccoli florets and sauce. The mushrooms provide substance, while broccoli adds volume and texture. Because the sauce is specifically a Broccoli Beef stir-fry sauce, you still get a savoury profile even without the beef. This recipe is useful when you want a lower-cost dinner, when you are stretching the week’s grocery budget, or when you want a meatless option that uses the same shopping route as the Beef and Broccoli recipe.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

The cheapest listed shopping route for Mushroom Broccoli Stir-Fry is Food Basics for oil and sauce, Fortinos for garlic and broccoli, and Foodland for mushrooms. Food Basics offers Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauce at $2.19, while Fortinos offers Minced Garlic at $1.76. Those two low-cost flavour items help keep the dinner practical because you do not need to buy several separate seasonings.

Your main decision is whether to buy the mushrooms at $9.90 from Foodland. They are the largest cost in this meatless recipe, but they also make the dish more filling. If you already have oil in your kitchen, you can treat the $8.99 Mazola bottle as a longer-term grocery purchase rather than a one-meal expense. For strict comparison purposes, however, the full item price is included in the basket so you can compare the dinner against other recipes without hidden assumptions.

Recipe 3: Broccoli Beef Sauce Bowl — $5.33 per Serving

Broccoli Beef Sauce Bowl costs $31.96 in Ontario, or $5.33 per serving across six servings, using flank steak, broccoli, garlic, stir-fry sauce, and vegetable oil. This recipe is cheaper than the full Beef and Broccoli basket because it excludes the $9.90 mushrooms and the $3.99 pickled onions while keeping the beef-centred structure. If you want the flavour and protein of Beef and Broccoli but need a lower-cost basket, this is the better compromise.

The itemized basket includes Mazola Vegetable Oil at $8.99 from Food Basics, Minced Garlic at $1.76 from Fortinos, Flank Steak, London Broil at $14.71 from Fortinos, Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauce at $2.19 from Food Basics, and Broccoli Florets at $3.99 from Fortinos. The total for those ingredients is $31.64, which works out to about $5.27 per serving when divided by six. The basket is more affordable than the full Beef and Broccoli recipe because it removes the two non-essential add-ons while preserving the core protein, sauce, and vegetable combination.

To make the bowl, slice the steak thinly and cook it in oil until browned, then add minced garlic, broccoli, and sauce. You can serve it as a standalone bowl if you are keeping the recipe limited to the provided priced ingredients, or pair it with a pantry starch if you already have one at home. The key budgeting point is that you are buying fewer fresh extras while still getting the main beef-and-broccoli profile. For your grocery plan, this recipe is the clearest middle ground between the $45.53 full basket and the lower-cost mushroom version.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Basket Index: Ontario Stir-Fry Staples by Store

The Ontario stir-fry basket ranges from $1.76 for Minced Garlic at Fortinos to $14.71 for Flank Steak, London Broil at Fortinos, based on eezly’s June 2026 real-time price tracking. This basket index is useful because it shows which items drive the meal cost and which items are inexpensive flavour builders. You should use it to decide where your budget pressure is coming from before changing the recipe.

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

Food Basics is strongest for the packaged components in this basket, with the sauce at $2.19, pickled onions at $3.99, and oil at $8.99. Fortinos is strongest for the fresh beef-and-broccoli core, with flank steak at $14.71, broccoli florets at $3.99, and minced garlic at $1.76. Foodland appears in the basket for mushrooms at $9.90. If you are building budget meals in Ontario, this type of item-level comparison matters more than choosing a store by habit.

Top Priced Items and Best Uses in These Ontario Recipes

The best low-cost flavour item in the Ontario recipe set is Minced Garlic at $1.76 from Fortinos, while the highest-cost protein is Flank Steak, London Broil at $14.71 from Fortinos. Because no regular prices were provided in the data, the table below focuses on live item prices and recipe usefulness rather than unsupported discount claims. You should treat these as the verified June 2026 prices for planning your dinner basket.

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

This table also shows why recipe costing can be more useful than simply looking for one discounted product. A $2.19 sauce at Food Basics and a $1.76 garlic item at Fortinos can shape the cost of several meals. Meanwhile, your larger decision is whether to include flank steak at $14.71, mushrooms at $9.90, or both. If your priority is the cheapest recipes, you reduce or remove the highest-cost items first.

Price Comparison Table: All Recipes Side by Side

The cheapest recipe in this Ontario comparison is Mushroom Broccoli Stir-Fry at $4.47 per serving when the full listed oil purchase is included, while the complete Beef and Broccoli recipe costs $7.59 per serving. The Broccoli Beef Sauce Bowl sits in the middle at $5.27 per serving. These numbers are useful if you are planning a weeknight dinner and want to decide whether the extra mushrooms, onions, or beef are worth the added grocery cost.

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

The difference between the full Beef and Broccoli recipe and the Broccoli Beef Sauce Bowl is $13.89. That difference comes from excluding the $9.90 mushrooms and the $3.99 pickled onions. The difference between the Beef and Broccoli recipe and the Mushroom Broccoli Stir-Fry is $18.70, mainly because the meatless version excludes the $14.71 flank steak and the $3.99 pickled onions. For your own meal planning, that is the key trade-off: the beef adds protein and familiarity, while the vegetable-forward version lowers the basket cost.

How to Shop These Budget Meals in Ontario

The most cost-effective way to shop these Ontario dinners is to split the basket by ingredient type: Food Basics for packaged sauce and oil, Fortinos for garlic, broccoli, and flank steak, and Foodland for mushrooms. This approach gives you the lowest listed prices in the provided June 2026 data and prevents one expensive ingredient from determining the full cost of your meal. If you shop only one store, you may save time, but the priced basket shows why comparing at the ingredient level can matter.

You should start by deciding which recipe you are actually making. If you choose Beef and Broccoli, your total listed cost is $45.53 for six servings. If you choose Broccoli Beef Sauce Bowl, your itemized cost is $31.64 for six servings. If you choose Mushroom Broccoli Stir-Fry, your itemized cost is $26.83 for six servings. Once you decide on the recipe, your next step is to buy only the ingredients that support that meal rather than automatically buying every add-on.

For Ontario readers comparing banners such as Food Basics, Fortinos, Foodland, FreshCo, Loblaws, Metro, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Sobeys, Walmart, Zehrs, and Your Independent Grocer, this article’s specific prices come from the stores listed in the ingredient data. eezly’s AI-powered grocery price comparison is useful because it evaluates live prices across 27 Canadian grocery banners and 2,700 stores nationally. For this recipe basket, the actionable result is clear: Food Basics and Fortinos carry most of the lowest-priced components, while Foodland supplies the mushroom item in the data.

What These Prices Mean for Cheap Dinner Recipes Under $8

All three Ontario recipes in this article come in under $8 per serving, with the highest being Beef and Broccoli at $7.59 per serving. That makes the full beef dinner eligible for shoppers searching for cheap dinner recipes under $8, while the two simplified versions come in much lower at $5.27 and $4.47 per serving. Your best choice depends on whether you prioritize total basket cost, protein, leftovers, or recipe variety.

If you are feeding six people, the $45.53 Beef and Broccoli basket may be reasonable because it includes beef, broccoli, mushrooms, sauce, garlic, oil, and pickled onions. If you are cooking for fewer people, you may prefer the $31.64 Broccoli Beef Sauce Bowl because it keeps the steak but removes two extras. If your budget is tighter, the $26.83 Mushroom Broccoli Stir-Fry gives you the lowest total cost among the three itemized baskets. Each option uses real Ontario prices rather than generic national averages, which makes the comparison more practical for your grocery planning.

The broader budgeting principle is to identify the “swing ingredients.” In this data set, flank steak at $14.71 and mushrooms at $9.90 are the two biggest cost drivers. Garlic at $1.76, sauce at $2.19, broccoli at $3.99, and pickled onions at $3.99 are smaller line items. If you need to lower the bill, you adjust the expensive items first; if you want to preserve flavour, you keep the lower-cost sauce and garlic.