Ontario Cheap Dinner Recipes: $1.90–$4.85 Servings

Key Facts

• Chicken Salad costs $48.55 total for 10 servings in Ontario, or $4.85 per serving. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Skinless Chicken Breast is priced at $13.16 at Foodbasics in Ontario. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Lemon Juice is priced at $1.49 at Food Basics, 780 Talbot St. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Club House Salads ’N Dips Ranch Style 28 g is priced at $1.25 at Food Basics, 780 Talbot St. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Mixed Bell Peppers are priced at $7.39 at Costco in Ontario. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Fat-Free Cottage Cheese is priced at $4.79 at Fortinos in Ontario. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)

Introduction: The Cheapest Recipe Is $1.90 Per Serving

The cheapest Ontario dinner recipe in this analysis is the cottage cheese ranch crunch bowl at $1.90 per serving. It uses Fat-Free Cottage Cheese at $4.79 from Fortinos, Celery at $2.99 from Foodbasics, Red Onions at $9.99 from Foodbasics, Club House Salads ’N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.25 from Food Basics, 780 Talbot St., and Lemon Juice at $1.49 from Food Basics, 780 Talbot St. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

If you are searching for cheap dinner recipes under $5 in Ontario, the full Chicken Salad remains a practical benchmark because it includes chicken breast, vegetables, dairy, and seasoning for $4.85 per serving. That makes it a useful budget meal for meal prep, especially if you want 10 servings from one shopping list. You can use the same basket to prepare three different low-cost dinner formats: a full chicken salad, a chicken yogurt pepper bowl, and a cottage cheese ranch crunch bowl.

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.

Recipe 1: Chicken Salad — $4.85 Per Serving

Chicken Salad costs $48.55 total for 10 servings in Ontario, or $4.85 per serving. The priced basket combines Skinless Chicken Breast at $13.16 from Foodbasics, Red Onions at $9.99 from Foodbasics, Celery at $2.99 from Foodbasics, Mixed Bell Peppers at $7.39 from Costco, Fat-Free Cottage Cheese at $4.79 from Fortinos, Nonfat Yogurt Plain Sweetened at $7.49 from Fortinos, Lemon Juice at $1.49 from Food Basics, 780 Talbot St., and Club House Salads ’N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.25 from Food Basics, 780 Talbot St. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This is the most complete dinner in the group because it uses the full ingredient list and includes a lean protein base, dairy-based creaminess, crunch from celery and onions, and extra volume from peppers. For your weekly meal prep, the advantage is that the total cost is spread across 10 servings. A $48.55 grocery basket can feel larger than a single dinner shop, but the per-serving math is what matters when you are packing lunches or planning multiple dinners.

You can serve this chicken salad in several budget-conscious ways without changing the priced basket. You can eat it as a bowl, spoon it over greens already in your kitchen, or use it as a sandwich filling if you have bread on hand. The core recipe cost remains $4.85 per serving because the tracked ingredients listed above are the priced components used for the calculation.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

Foodbasics is the key store for the main protein and several vegetables in this recipe. You buy Skinless Chicken Breast for $13.16, Red Onions for $9.99, and Celery for $2.99 at Foodbasics, which makes it the strongest single stop for the base of the chicken salad. Food Basics at 780 Talbot St. is also important for smaller pantry-style components, with Lemon Juice at $1.49 and Club House Salads ’N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.25.

Fortinos carries the dairy components used to bind and lighten the chicken salad. Nonfat Yogurt Plain Sweetened is $7.49 at Fortinos, while Fat-Free Cottage Cheese is $4.79 at Fortinos. Costco is the cheapest listed source for Mixed Bell Peppers at $7.39. If you are trying to reduce store trips, you can decide whether the pepper stop is worth it for your schedule, but the recipe costing here uses the cheapest listed store for each ingredient.

Recipe 2: Chicken Yogurt Pepper Bowl — $2.95 Per Serving

A chicken yogurt pepper bowl costs $29.53 total for 10 servings, or $2.95 per serving, using only Skinless Chicken Breast, Nonfat Yogurt Plain Sweetened, Mixed Bell Peppers, and Lemon Juice. Foodbasics offers Skinless Chicken Breast at $13.16, Fortinos offers Nonfat Yogurt Plain Sweetened at $7.49, Costco offers Mixed Bell Peppers at $7.39, and Food Basics at 780 Talbot St. offers Lemon Juice at $1.49. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This recipe is the best fit if you want a cheaper chicken-based dinner but do not need the full salad basket. By removing onions, celery, cottage cheese, and ranch-style seasoning, you reduce the ingredient cost from $48.55 to $29.53. Spread over 10 servings, that brings your serving cost down from $4.85 to $2.95.

The preparation is straightforward. Cook and slice the chicken breast, dice the mixed bell peppers, and stir the yogurt with lemon juice to create a simple creamy dressing. You can serve it warm or cold, which makes it suitable for summer dinners, packed lunches, or a simple protein bowl. Because the recipe uses fewer ingredients, it is also easier to shop if you are trying to keep your grocery list short.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

For this recipe, your highest-value store stop is Foodbasics because it supplies the chicken breast at $13.16. That single ingredient represents the protein foundation of the recipe and is the largest line item in the bowl. Costco is the listed cheapest source for Mixed Bell Peppers at $7.39, and Fortinos is the listed source for Nonfat Yogurt Plain Sweetened at $7.49.

Food Basics at 780 Talbot St. supplies the lowest-cost finishing ingredient in this recipe: Lemon Juice at $1.49. That small item matters because it gives the yogurt dressing acidity without requiring a larger condiment purchase. If you already plan to visit Food Basics at 780 Talbot St. for other groceries, the lemon juice is an inexpensive way to make the bowl taste brighter while keeping the recipe under $3 per serving.

Recipe 3: Cottage Cheese Ranch Crunch Bowl — $1.90 Per Serving

The cottage cheese ranch crunch bowl is the cheapest recipe in this Ontario dinner set at $19.02 total, or $1.90 per serving for 10 servings. It uses Fat-Free Cottage Cheese at $4.79 from Fortinos, Celery at $2.99 from Foodbasics, Red Onions at $9.99 from Foodbasics, Club House Salads ’N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.25 from Food Basics, 780 Talbot St., and Lemon Juice at $1.49 from Food Basics, 780 Talbot St. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This is a no-cook budget dinner option built around dairy protein, crunch, and seasoning. You use cottage cheese as the base, fold in finely chopped celery and red onion, then season with ranch-style dip mix and lemon juice. The result is closer to a cold savoury bowl or dip-style dinner than a traditional hot entrée, but it is highly economical.

For your budget, the main benefit is that this recipe avoids the $13.16 chicken breast line item. It still uses real tracked grocery prices and provides a practical dinner format when you want something cold, fast, and inexpensive. At $1.90 per serving, it is the strongest option in this article for people searching for the cheapest recipes in Ontario using June 2026 grocery prices.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Ontario Basket Index: Staple Prices by Store

The Ontario basket index shows Foodbasics carrying the chicken, onions, and celery in this recipe set, while Fortinos carries the dairy items and Food Basics at 780 Talbot St. carries the lowest-priced seasoning components. Skinless Chicken Breast is $13.16 at Foodbasics, while Club House Salads ’N Dips Ranch Style 28 g is $1.25 at Food Basics, 780 Talbot St. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This table is useful because your cheapest dinner depends on which ingredients you need, not just which store has the lowest single item. If you are making the full Chicken Salad, you may shop across Foodbasics, Fortinos, Costco, and Food Basics at 780 Talbot St. If you are making the $1.90 cottage cheese ranch crunch bowl, you can skip the chicken and peppers entirely.

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

Top Priced Items and Best Budget Uses

The lowest-priced listed item in the Ontario recipe basket is Club House Salads ’N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.25 from Food Basics, 780 Talbot St., followed by Lemon Juice at $1.49 from the same store. Those two low-cost flavour builders help turn basic dairy, chicken, and vegetables into budget meals without adding much to the serving cost. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

Because no regular prices are included in the source data, this table focuses on verified tracked prices and practical budget use rather than unverified discount percentages. You should treat these as the best priced components available in the provided Ontario recipe basket as of June 2026. The key takeaway is that smaller seasoning items can make a low-cost dinner more useful when paired with higher-cost protein or dairy.

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

Price Comparison Table: All Recipes Side by Side

The cheapest recipe is the cottage cheese ranch crunch bowl at $1.90 per serving, while the most complete recipe is Chicken Salad at $4.85 per serving. The chicken yogurt pepper bowl sits between them at $2.95 per serving and gives you a lower-cost chicken option than the full salad. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This comparison helps you decide what to cook based on your budget and appetite. If you want the lowest possible dinner cost, choose Recipe 3. If you want chicken but still want to stay under $3 per serving, choose Recipe 2. If you want the full meal-prep salad with all listed ingredients, Recipe 1 gives you the broadest mix of protein, dairy, vegetables, and seasoning.

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

How to Shop These Budget Meals in Ontario

Your best strategy is to decide first whether you want chicken, then build the rest of the basket around that choice. If you want chicken, Foodbasics is the key store because Skinless Chicken Breast is $13.16 there. If you want the cheapest overall dinner, you can skip chicken and build the $1.90 cottage cheese ranch crunch bowl around Fat-Free Cottage Cheese at $4.79 from Fortinos.

You should also pay attention to small items because they make inexpensive meals easier to repeat. Lemon Juice at $1.49 and Club House Salads ’N Dips Ranch Style 28 g at $1.25 from Food Basics, 780 Talbot St. are the two lowest-priced listed products in the basket. Those items do not carry the meal by themselves, but they help you turn cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken, and vegetables into finished dinners.

Ontario shoppers can compare these items across banners such as Food Basics, Fortinos, Costco, FreshCo, Loblaws, Metro, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Sobeys, Walmart, Zehrs, and Your Independent Grocer. The prices in this article are tied to the specific stores listed in the source data, and the province has 1,120 tracked stores in the provided Ontario count. For ongoing price checks, you can compare current grocery deals at https://eezly.com/deals, browse meal ideas at https://eezly.com/recipes, and review planning options at https://eezly.com/meal-plans.

What These Recipes Mean for Ontario Grocery Budgets

For Ontario budget meals, the practical threshold in this article is under $5 per serving. Chicken Salad comes in at $4.85 per serving, which keeps it within the “cheap dinner recipes under $5” category while still using chicken breast. The two alternatives are materially cheaper: $2.95 per serving for the chicken yogurt pepper bowl and $1.90 per serving for the cottage cheese ranch crunch bowl.

The biggest cost driver is the inclusion of chicken and the number of produce and dairy items used. Recipe 1 includes all eight tracked ingredients, which explains its $48.55 total. Recipe 2 uses four ingredients and costs $29.53. Recipe 3 uses five ingredients but avoids chicken and peppers, bringing the total down to $19.02.

You can use this framework beyond these three recipes. When you compare budget meals in Ontario, focus on cost per serving, not just the receipt total. A larger basket can still be economical if it creates enough servings, while a smaller basket may be better when you need a low upfront spend. eezly’s real-time price tracking makes that comparison easier because you can evaluate the same meal across stores and banners instead of relying only on habit.