PEI Cheap Dinner: Tuna Burgers at $4.94/Serving

June 8, 2026 · 18 min read · PE

Key Facts

According to eezly's real-time tracking of 196,000 products across 2,700 Canadian grocery stores, Tuna Burgers cost $19.76 total, or $4.94 per serving, in Prince Edward Island as of June 2026. For PEI shoppers comparing Atlantic Superstore, Foodland, Sobeys, Your Independent Grocer, No Frills, RASS, Walmart, Independent, Nofrills, and Co-op Morell, this recipe gives you a practical benchmark for cheap dinner recipes under $5 per serving. All prices cited in this article are sourced from eezly's live pricing database. 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 Featured PEI Dinner Is Tuna Burgers at $4.94 Per Serving

Tuna Burgers are the cheapest featured dinner in this Prince Edward Island recipe costing at $4.94 per serving. The full basket costs $19.76 for 4 servings, with the lowest-priced listed ingredients coming from Nofrills, Co-op Morell, and Independent. If you are searching for budget meals in Prince Edward Island or cheap dinner recipes under $5, this is a useful benchmark because the recipe uses shelf-stable tuna, buns, mayonnaise-style dressing, cheese slices, and olives rather than fresh meat or seafood.

The strongest cost advantage in this recipe is that the protein component is canned tuna rather than fresh fish, chicken, beef, or pork. Compliments Flaked White Tuna Albacore In Water 170 g is priced at $3.49 at Co-op Morell, while Hamburger Buns are $3.00 at Independent and Light Mayonnaise Type Dressing is $4.79 at Nofrills. Your total rises most noticeably from the cheese, since Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices are $5.79 at Independent, making cheese the highest-priced single ingredient in the basket.

For PEI households, the practical takeaway is straightforward: you can put a burger-style dinner on the table for less than $5 per serving if you build the meal around canned tuna and compare the supporting ingredients across stores. Your cheapest store for the overall recipe basket is listed as Nofrills, but individual ingredient prices show that you may also benefit from checking Independent and Co-op Morell for specific items. This is the kind of recipe where a store-by-store comparison can matter, even when the final meal is simple.

Recipe 1: Tuna Burgers — $4.94 Per Serving

Tuna Burgers cost $19.76 for 4 servings in Prince Edward Island, which works out to $4.94 per serving. That puts the recipe below the common $5 dinner threshold many Canadian households use when looking for cheap dinner recipes under $5. The recipe is especially practical for PEI because the main protein is canned tuna, which is easy to store, quick to prepare, and less sensitive to weekly meat price swings than fresh proteins.

From a budget standpoint, this recipe is built around five priced ingredients: tuna, hamburger buns, cheddar cheese slices, light mayonnaise-style dressing, and stuffed Manzanilla olives with pimento paste. The lowest listed tuna price is $3.49 at Co-op Morell, while the buns and cheese slices are both listed at Independent. Nofrills has the listed prices for the olives at $2.69 and the light mayonnaise type dressing at $4.79.

You should think of this recipe as a budget-friendly burger alternative rather than a direct substitute for beef burgers. You still get the familiar bun-and-cheese format, but the tuna changes the cost structure of the meal. Because the basket total is $19.76, your per-serving cost stays controlled even with cheese included.

Ingredients with Prices

The ingredient pricing below shows where each component of the Tuna Burgers basket is cheapest in the available PEI data. These prices are the foundation for the $19.76 total cost and $4.94 per-serving estimate.

IngredientPriceStoreRole in Recipe
Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste$2.69NofrillsBriny flavour and texture
Compliments Flaked White Tuna Albacore In Water 170 g$3.49Co-op MorellMain protein
Hamburger Buns$3.00IndependentBurger base
Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices$5.79IndependentTopping and richness
Light Mayonnaise Type Dressing$4.79NofrillsBinder and sauce

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

The most expensive ingredient in the basket is Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices at $5.79 at Independent. If you already have cheese at home, your actual out-of-pocket cost for this dinner would be lower than the full basket cost, but the recipe costing uses the listed grocery prices to keep the comparison consistent. The lowest-priced single ingredient is Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste at $2.69 at Nofrills.

You can use the prices above to make a practical shopping plan. If you want to buy the recipe exactly as costed, you would check Nofrills for the olives and light mayonnaise type dressing, Independent for the buns and cheddar slices, and Co-op Morell for the tuna. If you prefer one-stop shopping, you may choose the store that offers the best overall basket for your route, but the itemized data shows where the lowest listed prices sit.

Where to Buy Cheapest

Nofrills is listed as the cheapest store for the Tuna Burgers recipe basket, with a total recipe cost of $19.76 and a cost per serving of $4.94. Within the ingredient-level data, Nofrills has the lowest listed prices for Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste at $2.69 and Light Mayonnaise Type Dressing at $4.79. Co-op Morell has the listed tuna price at $3.49, while Independent has the listed hamburger buns at $3.00 and Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices at $5.79.

For your weekly grocery planning, this means you should not assume one store is cheapest for every item. Nofrills is the cheapest listed store for the total recipe, but Independent and Co-op Morell still matter for specific ingredients. If you are already near Co-op Morell, the $3.49 tuna price is worth noting because tuna is the core protein in this meal.

A practical way to shop this recipe is to treat it as a pantry-plus-fresh basket. The tuna, olives, and mayonnaise-style dressing can often be used across multiple meals, while the buns and cheese slices make the dinner feel more complete. You can also stretch the basket by serving the burgers with a low-cost side already in your pantry, such as rice, potatoes, or frozen vegetables, without changing the recipe cost reported here.

Recipe 2: Open-Faced Tuna Melt Burgers — $4.94 Per Serving Based on the Same PEI Basket

Open-Faced Tuna Melt Burgers use the same $19.76 PEI grocery basket and keep the same $4.94 per-serving cost when you use the priced ingredients listed for Tuna Burgers. This is not a separate basket with new prices; it is a preparation variation using the same tuna, buns, cheddar slices, mayonnaise-style dressing, and olives. For you, the value is flexibility: the same purchase can become a classic burger-style dinner or a warmer, melt-style meal.

This version is useful if you want a more filling meal without adding another priced ingredient. You would mix the tuna with the light mayonnaise type dressing, chop some olives into the mixture, place it on split hamburger buns, top with cheddar slices, and heat until the cheese softens. Because the ingredient list is unchanged, the cost remains anchored to the same $19.76 total and $4.94 per serving.

From a household budgeting perspective, this matters because variety can help you use the full basket without waste. If your family does not want four identical tuna burgers, two servings can be prepared as standard burgers and two as open-faced melts. You still stay within the same costed grocery basket.

Ingredients with Prices

IngredientPriceStoreUse in Open-Faced Version
Compliments Flaked White Tuna Albacore In Water 170 g$3.49Co-op MorellTuna melt base
Light Mayonnaise Type Dressing$4.79NofrillsBinder for tuna mixture
Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste$2.69NofrillsChopped seasoning
Hamburger Buns$3.00IndependentSplit open as the base
Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices$5.79IndependentMelted topping

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

The same basket gives you a warm dinner option without changing the grocery bill. That is useful when you are trying to plan budget meals in Prince Edward Island and want ingredients that can be used in more than one format. The cheese remains the costliest component at $5.79, so you should use it deliberately if you are trying to keep servings even.

Where to Buy Cheapest

The cheapest listed overall store for the basket remains Nofrills, with the full Tuna Burgers recipe priced at $19.76. Nofrills offers the olives at $2.69 and the light mayonnaise type dressing at $4.79, while Independent carries the buns at $3.00 and cheese slices at $5.79. Co-op Morell is the listed store for the tuna at $3.49.

If you are shopping by route, you should weigh the value of visiting multiple stores against the small basket size. A multi-store trip can make sense if you are already passing Independent, Nofrills, and Co-op Morell during your normal errands. If not, you may prefer to use the itemized prices as a benchmark while shopping at your closest PEI grocery banner.

Recipe 3: Tuna Olive Cheddar Bun Melts — $4.94 Per Serving Based on the Same PEI Basket

Tuna Olive Cheddar Bun Melts are another $4.94-per-serving dinner option when you use the same $19.76 PEI basket. This version leans into the strongest flavour combination in the priced ingredients: tuna, olives, cheddar, and a creamy dressing. For you, the advantage is that the recipe feels different from a standard burger while still using the same costed grocery items.

You would prepare this version by mixing the tuna with light mayonnaise type dressing and finely chopped stuffed olives, then spooning the mixture onto hamburger buns. The cheddar slices are added on top and the buns are heated until the cheese softens. This preparation can be especially useful for households that want a fast dinner with minimal prep time, since the base ingredient is canned tuna.

The cost profile does not change because no additional priced ingredients are added. The total remains $19.76 for four servings, with the same $4.94 per-serving estimate. That makes it one of the cheapest recipes in this PEI-focused costing, provided you are comfortable using the same basket in a different preparation.

Price Comparison Table: PEI Dinner Basket Index

The Tuna Burgers basket costs $19.76 total, with itemized prices ranging from $2.69 for olives at Nofrills to $5.79 for cheddar slices at Independent. This table functions as a PEI basket index for the ingredients used in the recipe, showing you which store has the listed cheapest price for each item. Because only verified prices are included, this basket index is limited to the real ingredients in the data rather than estimated substitutions.

Basket ItemLowest Listed PriceCheapest StoreNotes for Your Meal Plan
Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste$2.69NofrillsLowest-priced ingredient in the basket
Hamburger Buns$3.00IndependentBase for all three recipe formats
Compliments Flaked White Tuna Albacore In Water 170 g$3.49Co-op MorellMain protein for the dinner
Light Mayonnaise Type Dressing$4.79NofrillsBinder and sauce component
Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices$5.79IndependentHighest-priced ingredient in the basket
Full Tuna Burgers Recipe Basket$19.76Nofrills4 servings at $4.94 each

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

The table shows why your grocery strategy should be item-specific. Nofrills has two of the lowest listed component prices and is also identified as the cheapest store for the overall recipe basket. Independent matters because both buns and cheddar slices are listed there, and Co-op Morell matters because the tuna price is attached to that store.

If you are building a weekly meal plan, the full basket price is more useful than any single ingredient price. A $2.69 jar of olives is inexpensive, but it is not dinner on its own. The important number is the $4.94 cost per serving, because that tells you whether the recipe fits your household’s target for cheap dinner recipes under $5.

Top Ingredient Deals for This PEI Recipe Basket

The best listed deal in this PEI recipe basket is Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste at $2.69 at Nofrills, followed by Hamburger Buns at $3.00 at Independent and Compliments Flaked White Tuna Albacore In Water 170 g at $3.49 at Co-op Morell. No regular prices were provided in the source data, so savings percentages are not calculated. The value ranking below is based on the verified current price for each item.

RankProductCurrent PriceRegular PriceSavings %Store
1Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste$2.69Not providedNot calculatedNofrills
2Hamburger Buns$3.00Not providedNot calculatedIndependent
3Compliments Flaked White Tuna Albacore In Water 170 g$3.49Not providedNot calculatedCo-op Morell
4Light Mayonnaise Type Dressing$4.79Not providedNot calculatedNofrills
5Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices$5.79Not providedNot calculatedIndependent

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

For your dinner planning, the top three prices are the most important if you are trying to control your bill. Olives at $2.69, buns at $3.00, and tuna at $3.49 make the recipe feel more complete without relying on a higher-cost fresh protein. The cheese at $5.79 is the priciest component, so it is the first place you would adjust portioning if you wanted to stretch the basket.

You should also view this list as a practical reminder that “cheapest recipe” does not always mean “cheapest ingredient.” The lowest ingredient price is useful, but the meal works because the basket comes together at $19.76 for four servings. Your best value comes from combining the lower-cost items with the higher-cost cheese in a way that keeps each serving balanced.

How to Shop This PEI Tuna Burger Basket More Strategically

Nofrills is the cheapest listed store for the full Tuna Burgers recipe basket at $19.76, but your ingredient-level shopping plan may include Co-op Morell and Independent. Nofrills offers the listed prices for olives and light mayonnaise type dressing, Independent has the listed prices for buns and cheddar slices, and Co-op Morell has the listed tuna price. If you are comparing budget meals in Prince Edward Island, you should use both the full-basket cost and the item-level prices.

The biggest decision is whether the multi-store approach is worth your time. If you already pass Nofrills, Independent, or Co-op Morell during your normal errands, checking the lowest listed item prices can help you stay close to the $4.94 serving cost. If you would need a special trip, you may prefer to use the $19.76 basket as a benchmark and avoid spending extra time or fuel.

You should also think about how many meals the ingredients can support. The mayonnaise-style dressing and olives may not be fully used in a single dinner, depending on your preparation, which means part of the basket can carry into another meal. That makes the first shop feel more expensive than the per-serving recipe cost, but the remaining pantry ingredients can reduce the cost of a later lunch or dinner.

For more grocery comparison tools and meal-planning ideas, you can review current grocery deals at https://eezly.com/deals, compare recipe inspiration at https://eezly.com/recipes, and build broader meal plans at https://eezly.com/meal-plans. If you want to keep tracking Canadian grocery pricing patterns, the eezly blog at https://eezly.com/blog provides additional grocery and personal finance coverage.

Why Tuna Burgers Work as a Budget Meal in Prince Edward Island

Tuna Burgers work as a budget meal in Prince Edward Island because the full dinner is priced at $19.76 for four servings, or $4.94 per serving. The recipe relies on canned tuna at $3.49 from Co-op Morell instead of a fresh meat or seafood protein. For your household budget, that makes the recipe easier to plan because canned tuna is simple to store and can be turned into dinner quickly.

The recipe also uses familiar grocery items that do not require complicated preparation. Hamburger buns at $3.00 from Independent give the meal structure, while Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices at $5.79 add richness. Light Mayonnaise Type Dressing at $4.79 from Nofrills binds the tuna mixture, and Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste at $2.69 add flavour without requiring several separate seasonings.

This combination is especially useful if your goal is not simply to find the absolute cheapest food item, but to build a dinner that feels complete. A low-cost dinner still needs enough flavour, texture, and protein to be satisfying. Tuna Burgers meet that test while staying under $5 per serving in the available PEI pricing.

What This Recipe Costing Means for PEI Grocery Budgets

A $4.94-per-serving dinner gives you a clear planning number for your weekly grocery budget in Prince Edward Island. If you are feeding four people, the listed total is $19.76 for the meal. If you are cooking for two, the same basket can cover dinner plus leftovers, depending on how you portion the buns, tuna mixture, and cheese.

The most useful part of this recipe costing is that it turns individual grocery prices into a meal-level number. You do not have to guess whether $3.49 tuna, $3.00 buns, and $5.79 cheese will still produce a low-cost dinner. The basket-level answer is already calculated: $19.76 total and $4.94 per serving.

When you compare this recipe with other dinner options, keep the serving cost in mind. A product may look inexpensive on the shelf but require several additional ingredients to become dinner. In this case, the priced basket includes the core components needed to produce a burger-style meal, making it easier for you to plan accurately.

FAQ

Q: What is the cheapest dinner recipe in Prince Edward Island in this eezly costing?
A: The cheapest featured dinner recipe is Tuna Burgers at $19.76 total for 4 servings, or $4.94 per serving. The basket is listed with Nofrills as the cheapest overall store, while individual ingredients are priced at Nofrills, Co-op Morell, and Independent.

Q: What is the cheapest grocery store in Prince Edward Island for this Tuna Burgers recipe?
A: Nofrills is listed as the cheapest store for the full Tuna Burgers recipe basket, which costs $19.76 total or $4.94 per serving. Ingredient-level prices also include $2.69 olives and $4.79 light mayonnaise type dressing at Nofrills.

Q: Are Tuna Burgers a cheap dinner recipe under $5 in PEI?
A: Yes. Tuna Burgers cost $4.94 per serving in Prince Edward Island, based on a $19.76 basket divided across 4 servings. That places the recipe under the $5-per-serving threshold for cheap dinner recipes.

Q: Which ingredient costs the most in the PEI Tuna Burgers basket?
A: Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices are the highest-priced listed ingredient at $5.79 at Independent. The next highest listed item is Light Mayonnaise Type Dressing at $4.79 at Nofrills.

Q: Which ingredient costs the least in the PEI Tuna Burgers basket?
A: Stuffed Manzanilla Olives With Pimento Paste are the lowest-priced listed ingredient at $2.69 at Nofrills. Hamburger Buns are the next lowest listed item at $3.00 at Independent.

Q: How can AI help save on groceries in Prince Edward Island?
A: AI can help you compare ingredient prices across grocery banners and identify the lowest-cost basket for a recipe. In this PEI example, eezly’s real-time price tracking shows a $19.76 Tuna Burgers basket with ingredient prices from Nofrills, Co-op Morell, and Independent.

Q: What stores are included in PEI grocery price comparisons?
A: The active grocery banners in Prince Edward Island include Atlantic Superstore, Foodland, Sobeys, Your Independent Grocer, No Frills, RASS, Walmart, Independent, Nofrills, and Co-op Morell. For this recipe, the priced ingredients come from Nofrills, Co-op Morell, and Independent.

Comparison

RecipeTotal CostServingsCost/ServingCheapest Store
Tuna Burgers$19.764$4.94Nofrills
Open-Faced Tuna Melt Burgers$19.764$4.94Nofrills
Tuna Olive Cheddar Bun Melts$19.764$4.94Nofrills

Find the best grocery prices

Compare 196,000+ products across 3,150 Canadian stores.

Compare prices now