Quebec Budget Meals: $5.99 Tomato Rice Skillet

Key Facts

• Beef Casserole costs $53.70 total for 8 servings, or $6.71 per serving in Quebec. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Lean Ground Beef is priced at $10.00 at maxi 1 for this Quebec recipe basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Sweet Green Peppers are priced at $1.88 at Maxi in the Quebec ingredient list. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Red Carrots are priced at $1.10 at Maxi, the lowest individual ingredient price in this recipe basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Sweet Rice Short Grain is priced at $6.49 at maxi 1 for Quebec recipe costing. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy is priced at $1.79 at Maxi for this Quebec dinner basket. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)

Introduction

The cheapest recipe in this Quebec budget-meal analysis is Tomato Rice Vegetable Skillet at $5.99 per serving, built from real ingredient prices at Maxi, IGA and maxi 1. If you are searching for budget meals Quebec shoppers can actually price out before going to the store, this recipe gives you a lower-cost meatless dinner using Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49, Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59, Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 and Red Carrots at $1.10. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This article costs three cheap dinner recipes under $7 per serving using only the Quebec prices provided in 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.

For Quebec households, the key lesson is that you can keep dinner costs near the $6-per-serving range when you build meals around low-priced vegetables, rice, gravy and carefully portioned beef. Maxi appears repeatedly in the lowest-priced ingredients in this basket, including Red Carrots at $1.10, Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79, Black Pepper at $6.49 and Paprika at $3.49. IGA contributes Shallots Onions at $4.39 and Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59, while Metro supplies Celery at $4.99.

Recipe 1: Tomato Rice Vegetable Skillet — $5.99 per serving

Tomato Rice Vegetable Skillet is the cheapest recipe in this Quebec costing guide at $23.94 total, or $5.99 per serving for 4 servings. The recipe uses Organic Red Tomatoes from IGA at $6.59, Sweet Rice Short Grain from maxi 1 at $6.49, Sweet Green Peppers from Maxi at $1.88, Red Carrots from Maxi at $1.10, Shallots Onions from IGA at $4.39 and Paprika from Maxi at $3.49. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This is the strongest choice if you want one of the cheapest recipes in the basket without relying on beef. You get a rice-based dinner with vegetables and seasoning, and your most expensive items are the tomatoes and rice rather than meat. That matters because a meatless dinner can help you stretch your weekly grocery budget while still giving you a warm, filling main dish. If you already have pantry seasonings at home, your out-of-pocket cost at the store could be lower, but the costing here includes the full listed ingredient prices for a consistent comparison.

Ingredients with Prices

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

The arithmetic is straightforward: $6.59 for tomatoes plus $6.49 for rice plus $1.88 for peppers plus $1.10 for carrots plus $4.39 for onions plus $3.49 for paprika equals $23.94. Dividing that total by 4 servings gives a per-serving cost of $5.985, rounded to $5.99. For your meal plan, that makes this recipe a practical answer to searches for cheap dinner recipes under $6 in Quebec.

Where to Buy Cheapest

Maxi is the key store for keeping this recipe inexpensive because it carries the lowest-priced vegetables and seasoning in this basket: Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88, Red Carrots at $1.10 and Paprika at $3.49. IGA supplies the higher-priced produce components, with Shallots Onions at $4.39 and Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59. maxi 1 supplies Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49.

Your best strategy is to split the shop only if the stores are convenient for you. If you are already visiting Maxi for the peppers, carrots and paprika, those three items together cost $6.47. The IGA items total $10.98, and the rice at maxi 1 is $6.49. You should avoid adding extra trips if transit, fuel or time costs outweigh the grocery savings, but the itemized prices show exactly where each ingredient is cheapest in the tracked Quebec basket.

To cook it, sauté the shallots, carrots and peppers until softened, add chopped tomatoes and paprika, then fold in cooked short-grain rice. The dish works as a main course because the rice provides bulk and the vegetables provide texture. If you want to keep your dinner close to the $5.99-per-serving benchmark, avoid adding extra cheese, meat or packaged sauces unless you price them first.

Recipe 2: Beef Pepper Rice Bowl — $6.94 per serving

Beef Pepper Rice Bowl costs $27.75 total, or $6.94 per serving for 4 servings, using Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 from maxi 1, Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49 from maxi 1, Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 from Maxi, Red Carrots at $1.10 from Maxi, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79 from Maxi and Black Pepper at $6.49 from Maxi. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This recipe is more expensive than the tomato rice skillet, but it gives you a beef-based dinner while staying under $7 per serving. The main cost driver is not only the Lean Ground Beef at $10.00; Black Pepper also adds $6.49 to the priced basket because this costing includes the full shelf price of the ingredient. If you already have pepper at home, your immediate checkout cost for this recipe would be lower, but for comparison purposes, the full listed grocery price is included.

Ingredients with Prices

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

The total is calculated from the itemized prices: $10.00 + $6.49 + $1.88 + $1.10 + $1.79 + $6.49 = $27.75. Dividing $27.75 by 4 servings gives $6.9375, rounded to $6.94 per serving. If you are comparing budget meals Quebec grocery shoppers can prepare with beef, this is the middle option in the guide: more expensive than the vegetable skillet, but still cheaper per serving than the full beef casserole.

Where to Buy Cheapest

maxi 1 is the main stop for the highest-value core ingredients in this recipe because both the Lean Ground Beef and Sweet Rice Short Grain are priced there at $10.00 and $6.49 respectively. Maxi supplies the supporting ingredients: Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88, Red Carrots at $1.10, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79 and Black Pepper at $6.49. That gives you a recipe where every listed ingredient comes from the Maxi or maxi 1 banner family in the tracked Quebec data.

For your shopping list, the most important decision is whether you need a full container of Black Pepper. Because the costing includes Black Pepper at $6.49, it accounts for nearly a quarter of the recipe’s $27.75 basket. If your pantry already has pepper, you can treat the $6.94 cost per serving as a conservative full-basket estimate rather than the minimum possible out-of-pocket dinner cost.

To prepare the meal, cook the rice separately, brown the ground beef, then add diced carrots and peppers. Stir in the reduced-salt pepper gravy and season with black pepper. Serve the beef mixture over rice so the lower-cost rice stretches the higher-cost beef across four servings. This structure is useful when you want a beef dinner but do not want beef to dominate the total cost of the meal.

Recipe 3: Beef Casserole — $6.71 per serving

Beef Casserole costs $53.70 total for 8 servings, or $6.71 per serving, making it the best large-batch dinner in this Quebec recipe costing guide. The tracked ingredient basket includes Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 from maxi 1, Shallots Onions at $4.39 from IGA, Celery at $4.99 from Metro, Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 from Maxi, Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59 from IGA, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79 from Maxi, Black Pepper at $6.49 from Maxi, Paprika at $3.49 from Maxi, GoodLeaf Hero Greens Sweet Pea Shoots 50 g at $4.99 from Canada inc., Red Carrots at $1.10 from Maxi, Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49 from maxi 1 and Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.50 from Maxi. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This is the most complete dinner in the article because it includes beef, rice, vegetables, greens, seasoning and water chestnuts. Although its total checkout cost is higher than the other two recipes, it serves 8 people, which lowers the per-serving cost to $6.71. If you cook for a family, want leftovers or prefer batch cooking, this recipe gives you the best balance between variety and portion count.

Ingredients with Prices

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

The full Beef Casserole basket totals $53.70, and the recipe is designed for 8 servings. At $6.71 per serving, it costs less per plate than the Beef Pepper Rice Bowl at $6.94, even though the total basket is larger. That makes it a useful example of why you should compare cost per serving rather than only the receipt total when planning cheap dinner recipes under $7.

Where to Buy Cheapest

Maxi supplies the largest number of lower-priced components in the Beef Casserole basket. Sweet Green Peppers cost $1.88 at Maxi, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy costs $1.79 at Maxi, Red Carrots cost $1.10 at Maxi, Paprika costs $3.49 at Maxi, Black Pepper costs $6.49 at Maxi and Whole Water Chestnuts cost $1.50 at Maxi. maxi 1 supplies Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 and Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49.

IGA is important for the tomato and onion portion of the recipe. Shallots Onions are priced at $4.39 at IGA, while Organic Red Tomatoes are priced at $6.59 at IGA. Metro supplies Celery at $4.99. If you are planning the casserole around your route, you should prioritize Maxi and maxi 1 first because they cover most of the basket, then decide whether the IGA and Metro stops are practical based on your neighbourhood.

To cook the casserole, brown the beef, soften the onions, celery, carrots and peppers, then combine with tomatoes, gravy, rice, paprika, pepper, water chestnuts and greens. Bake until the mixture is hot and cohesive. You can portion the finished casserole into 8 servings for lunches or dinners, which helps you avoid higher-cost last-minute meals during the week.

Quebec Basket Index: Staple Prices for These Budget Meals

Maxi and maxi 1 anchor the lowest-cost ingredients in this Quebec basket, with Red Carrots at $1.10, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.50, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79 and Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88. IGA contributes Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59 and Shallots Onions at $4.39, while Metro contributes Celery at $4.99. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

The basket index below is useful because it separates the individual ingredient prices from the recipe totals. You can use it to decide which ingredients are worth buying first, which ones are driving the recipe cost and which store names appear most often for your Quebec dinner plan. This table also helps you compare the practical role of each item: carrots, peppers, gravy and water chestnuts are low-cost additions, while beef, rice, tomatoes and pantry seasonings carry more of the total.

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

For your grocery list, the lowest-priced items in the index are the best tools for stretching a meal. Red Carrots at $1.10, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.50 and Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 can add volume and texture without pushing the recipe far above the $6-per-serving range. The higher-priced ingredients, especially Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 and Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59, should be used deliberately so they support several servings rather than one or two plates.

Top Priced Ingredients for Quebec Budget Dinners

Red Carrots at $1.10 at Maxi are the lowest-priced item in this Quebec recipe basket, while Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 at maxi 1 is the highest-priced core protein. The spread between those two items is $8.90, which shows why vegetable-heavy recipes can reduce your cost per serving. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

The table below lists the most useful priced ingredients for planning these recipes. Because the provided data contains live shelf prices but not regular-price history, the “regular price” and “savings percentage” fields are marked as not provided rather than estimated. That preserves price accuracy while still giving you the product, store and current price data needed to plan your dinner.

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

If you are trying to keep your basket focused, you should start with the first four rows. Red Carrots, Whole Water Chestnuts, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy and Sweet Green Peppers are all under $2.00 in the tracked Quebec data. Those ingredients can support rice, beef or tomato-based meals without forcing you into a higher-cost dinner pattern.

Price Comparison Table: All Recipes Side by Side

Tomato Rice Vegetable Skillet is the lowest-cost recipe at $5.99 per serving, Beef Casserole is the best large-batch recipe at $6.71 per serving, and Beef Pepper Rice Bowl is the highest of the three at $6.94 per serving. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive recipe is $0.95 per serving. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

This comparison is the most important table if you are deciding what to cook tonight. The tomato rice skillet has the lowest total and lowest cost per serving, but it serves 4 and does not include beef. The beef casserole requires a larger basket at $53.70, but it produces 8 servings and lands below the beef rice bowl on a per-serving basis.

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

For your household, the best recipe depends on whether you value the lowest serving cost, the lowest checkout total or the most leftovers. Choose Tomato Rice Vegetable Skillet if your priority is the cheapest recipe. Choose Beef Casserole if you want 8 servings and a more complete ingredient mix. Choose Beef Pepper Rice Bowl if you want a simpler beef-and-rice dinner with fewer total ingredients than the casserole.

How to Use AI Price Comparison for Budget Meals in Quebec

AI price comparison helps you save on groceries by matching your recipe plan to current store-level prices before you shop. In this Quebec basket, eezly’s real-time price tracking shows Maxi-priced Red Carrots at $1.10, Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 and Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79, while IGA-priced Organic Red Tomatoes cost $6.59 and Metro-priced Celery costs $4.99. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

When you build meals manually, it is easy to focus on the headline ingredient and overlook smaller items that change the total. A casserole can look inexpensive because it uses ground beef, but the final cost also depends on rice, tomatoes, pepper, paprika, greens and vegetables. AI-powered grocery price comparison is useful because it evaluates the whole basket rather than one item at a time.

For your weekly planning, you can use the same method shown in this article. Start with the protein or base ingredient, such as Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 or Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49. Add vegetables that are inexpensive in the current Quebec data, such as Red Carrots at $1.10 and Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88. Then divide the full basket cost by the number of servings so you can compare recipes fairly.

You can also use eezly’s recipe and meal-planning tools to compare Quebec grocery prices across banners such as Maxi, IGA, Metro, Super C, Provigo, Walmart, Costco and Wholesale Club. The best result is not always the lowest single item price; it is the lowest practical basket for the way you actually cook. That is why cost per serving is the key number for cheap dinner recipes under $7.

Practical Shopping Notes for Quebec Households

The most practical Quebec shopping pattern in this data is to treat Maxi and maxi 1 as the anchor stores for the recipe basket. Maxi appears on multiple lower-priced ingredients, including Red Carrots at $1.10, Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.50, Paprika at $3.49 and Black Pepper at $6.49. maxi 1 carries Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 and Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49. [Source: eezly real-time price tracking].

You should build your trip around the ingredients that affect more than one recipe. Rice appears in all three recipe concepts, so the $6.49 Sweet Rice Short Grain price at maxi 1 matters across the whole meal plan. Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 and Red Carrots at $1.10 also appear across multiple recipes, making them high-utility basket items. Buying those first gives you flexibility if you decide to switch from casserole to rice bowl or vegetable skillet.

IGA and Metro still matter in this plan. IGA supplies Shallots Onions at $4.39 and Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59, both of which shape the flavour of the tomato rice skillet and the casserole. Metro supplies Celery at $4.99, which is specific to the casserole. If you are minimizing store stops, you may choose the recipes with the highest concentration of Maxi and maxi 1 ingredients; if you are optimizing the exact basket, you can follow the store-by-store breakdown.

FAQ

Q: What is the cheapest grocery store in Quebec for these budget dinner recipes?
A: For the tracked ingredients in this Quebec recipe basket, Maxi appears most often on the lowest-priced items. Maxi has Red Carrots at $1.10, Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79, Paprika at $3.49, Black Pepper at $6.49 and Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.50. maxi 1 also plays a major role with Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 and Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49, based on eezly real-time price tracking for June 2026.

Q: What is the cheapest recipe in this Quebec budget meal guide?
A: The cheapest recipe is Tomato Rice Vegetable Skillet at $23.94 total, or $5.99 per serving for 4 servings. It uses Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59 from IGA, Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49 from maxi 1, Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 from Maxi, Red Carrots at $1.10 from Maxi, Shallots Onions at $4.39 from IGA and Paprika at $3.49 from Maxi.

Q: Are there cheap dinner recipes under $7 per serving in Quebec?
A: Yes. All three recipes in this guide are under $7 per serving using the provided Quebec prices. Tomato Rice Vegetable Skillet costs $5.99 per serving, Beef Casserole costs $6.71 per serving, and Beef Pepper Rice Bowl costs $6.94 per serving. These calculations use June 2026 prices from eezly’s real-time tracking.

Q: Is Beef Casserole a good budget meal in Quebec?
A: Beef Casserole is a good large-batch budget meal because it costs $53.70 total and serves 8 people, bringing the cost to $6.71 per serving. The basket includes Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 from maxi 1, Sweet Rice Short Grain at $6.49 from maxi 1, Red Carrots at $1.10 from Maxi and several other vegetables and seasonings from Maxi, IGA and Metro.

Q: How can AI help save on groceries in Quebec?
A: AI can help you save by comparing the full recipe basket across stores before you shop. In this example, eezly’s real-time tracking identifies Red Carrots at $1.10 and Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 at Maxi, Lean Ground Beef at $10.00 at maxi 1, Organic Red Tomatoes at $6.59 at IGA and Celery at $4.99 at Metro. That lets you plan around total meal cost instead of guessing from individual shelf prices.

Q: Which recipe is best for leftovers?
A: Beef Casserole is best for leftovers because it provides 8 servings at $6.71 per serving. Although the total basket cost is $53.70, the larger serving count makes it practical for family dinners, packed lunches or batch cooking. The Tomato Rice Vegetable Skillet and Beef Pepper Rice Bowl each use 4-serving cost models in this guide.

Q: What are the lowest-priced ingredients in the Quebec basket?
A: The lowest-priced ingredients are Red Carrots at $1.10 at Maxi, Whole Water Chestnuts at $1.50 at Maxi, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $1.79 at Maxi and Sweet Green Peppers at $1.88 at Maxi. These items are useful for stretching rice, beef and vegetable dishes while keeping your cost per serving near the $6 range.