Quebec Budget Meals: Salad Mix at $1.51/Serving

Key Facts

• Salad Mix costs $21.15 total for 14 servings in Quebec (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Salad Mix costs $1.51 per serving in Quebec (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Red Romaine Lettuce is priced at $1.99 at Canada inc. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Radishes are priced at $1.99 at Maxi in Quebec (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Red Cabbage is priced at $4.99 at IGA in Quebec (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Green Onions are priced at $8.19 at Costco in Quebec (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Romaine Lettuce is priced at $3.99 at Metro in Quebec (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)

Introduction: The Cheapest Featured Recipe Is Salad Mix at $1.51 per Serving

Salad Mix is the cheapest featured recipe in this Quebec recipe costing analysis at $1.51 per serving. The full basket costs $21.15 and yields 14 servings, which makes it a practical option when you want cheap dinner recipes under $2 per serving using real June 2026 Quebec grocery prices. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

For your weekly meal planning, the key takeaway is straightforward: fresh vegetable-based dinners can still be cost-controlled when you compare stores before you shop. In this basket, the lowest individual item prices include Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99 at Canada inc. and Radishes at $1.99 at Maxi, while the highest single ingredient is Green Onions at $8.19 at Costco. If you are shopping across Quebec banners such as Maxi, IGA, Metro and Costco, you can use these item-level prices to decide whether one-stop convenience or multi-store buying gives you the better dinner cost.

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.

This guide focuses on budget-friendly dinner recipes using the priced ingredients available in the June 2026 Quebec data. Because recipe costing depends on actual shelf prices, each recipe below is built from the real items listed in the data rather than estimated pantry averages. You can use the same approach when planning your own cheapest recipes: start with the item prices, calculate the basket total, then divide by the number of servings you expect to prepare.

Recipe 1: Quebec Salad Mix — $1.51 per Serving

Quebec Salad Mix costs $21.15 total and $1.51 per serving for 14 servings. The recipe is the strongest budget option in this article because it combines a large serving count with lower-cost produce items such as Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99 and Radishes at $1.99. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the best fit if you want a no-cook dinner base, a side dish for several meals, or a low-cost vegetarian option that stretches across the week. You can serve it as a dinner salad on its own, pair it with a protein you already have at home, or use it as a base for lunch bowls. Since the basket yields 14 servings, your cost per serving remains low even though one ingredient, Green Onions at Costco, is priced higher than the lettuce and radishes.

The recipe also fits several common dietary needs. The data tags identify it as gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, no beef, no pork, no lamb, no fish, no shellfish and no red meat. For your household budget, that matters because a single prepared salad mix can cover different dietary preferences without requiring multiple separate dinner components.

Ingredients with Prices

The Salad Mix basket is built from five priced ingredients in Quebec: Red Romaine Lettuce, Green Onions, Radishes, Red Cabbage and Romaine Lettuce. The item-level prices show why this recipe stays under $2 per serving: two ingredients are priced at $1.99, one is priced at $3.99, one is priced at $4.99 and the highest item is $8.19.

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

For your preparation, wash and chop the lettuces, thinly slice the radishes, shred the red cabbage and cut the green onions into small pieces. The recipe’s value comes from volume: cabbage and romaine both hold well after chopping, which helps you prepare several servings at once. If you are trying to keep dinner costs predictable, this type of batch-prepped salad can reduce the need for last-minute convenience purchases.

Where to Buy Cheapest

The lowest-priced produce items in this Salad Mix basket are Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99 at Canada inc. and Radishes at $1.99 at Maxi. Metro offers Romaine Lettuce at $3.99, while IGA lists Red Cabbage at $4.99 and Costco lists Green Onions at $8.19. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

If you want the lowest item-by-item cost, you would buy each ingredient at the store listed in the price table. That means your route would include Canada inc. for Red Romaine Lettuce, Maxi for Radishes, Metro for Romaine Lettuce, IGA for Red Cabbage and Costco for Green Onions. In practice, your best choice depends on how close these stores are to your home and whether the extra trip is worth the ingredient-level savings.

The most important comparison inside the basket is between Red Romaine Lettuce and Romaine Lettuce. Canada inc. offers Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99, while Metro charges $3.99 for Romaine Lettuce — a savings of 50.1% when you choose the $1.99 red romaine item instead of the $3.99 romaine item, based on eezly data, June 2026. If you only need one lettuce for your own version of the recipe, that single choice can materially lower your dinner cost.

Recipe 2: Romaine, Radish and Green Onion Salad — $3.04 per Serving

A simplified Romaine, Radish and Green Onion Salad costs $12.17 using the priced Quebec ingredients in this data set, or $3.04 per serving if you portion it into four dinner servings. The calculation uses Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99, Radishes at $1.99 and Green Onions at $8.19. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This version is useful when you want a smaller dinner salad and do not need the full 14-serving Salad Mix basket. You still get a crisp base from Red Romaine Lettuce, a sharp crunch from Radishes and a stronger savoury note from Green Onions. Because the green onions are the most expensive item in this three-ingredient basket, your per-serving cost is higher than the full Salad Mix recipe, even though the total basket cost is lower.

For your household, this recipe makes sense if you are cooking for one or two people and want fewer leftovers. The trade-off is that small-batch recipes often look cheaper at the cash register but cost more per serving. That is why recipe costing should always compare both the total basket and the serving count, not just the number of ingredients.

Ingredients with Prices

This recipe uses three priced ingredients from the Quebec data. The total is calculated directly from the listed prices: $1.99 for Red Romaine Lettuce, $1.99 for Radishes and $8.19 for Green Onions, for an itemized total of $12.17.

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

To prepare it, slice the red romaine into ribbons, cut the radishes thinly and add chopped green onions to taste. You can serve it as a light dinner salad or use it as a fresh side alongside leftovers. If you already have oil, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice or another dressing at home, the fresh produce portion of the meal remains tied to the $12.17 basket shown above.

Where to Buy Cheapest

The cheapest store for Red Romaine Lettuce in this recipe is Canada inc. at $1.99, and the cheapest listed store for Radishes is Maxi at $1.99. Green Onions are listed at Costco for $8.19. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

If you are trying to reduce your dinner cost, your first decision is whether the Costco green onion purchase fits your meal plan beyond one recipe. At $8.19, it represents 67.3% of the $12.17 three-ingredient basket. You get better value from that purchase if you use green onions in several meals during the week rather than treating them as a one-recipe ingredient.

For a practical Quebec shopping plan, you could buy Radishes at Maxi and Red Romaine Lettuce at Canada inc. when those stores fit your route. If Costco is not convenient, you may decide that the simplified recipe is less attractive than the larger Salad Mix basket, which spreads the green onion cost across 14 servings. Your best budget move is not always choosing the smallest recipe; it is choosing the recipe where the higher-priced ingredients are used efficiently.

Recipe 3: Red Cabbage and Romaine Crunch Salad — $2.74 per Serving

Red Cabbage and Romaine Crunch Salad costs $10.97 using Quebec prices, or $2.74 per serving when divided into four servings. The calculation uses Red Cabbage at $4.99 from IGA, Romaine Lettuce at $3.99 from Metro and Radishes at $1.99 from Maxi. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This recipe is a good middle ground between the 14-serving Salad Mix and the smaller three-ingredient romaine salad. It does not include the $8.19 Green Onions, which helps keep the basket total lower than Recipe 2. The combination of cabbage, romaine and radishes gives you a crunchy dinner salad that can hold up well if you prepare it earlier in the day.

For your budget, the key advantage is that every ingredient is under $5. Red Cabbage is the highest-priced item at $4.99, Romaine Lettuce is $3.99 and Radishes are $1.99. That makes the recipe easier to plan when you want cheap dinner recipes under $3 per serving and do not want a single ingredient to dominate the basket.

Ingredients with Prices

The ingredient list for this recipe is short and price-stable within the data provided. You are combining a bulkier vegetable, a leafy green and a low-cost crunchy accent.

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

To make it, shred the red cabbage finely so it softens slightly when dressed, then chop the romaine and slice the radishes. This recipe works especially well if you prefer a salad with more texture than a lettuce-only bowl. Since red cabbage is sturdy, you can prepare part of the recipe in advance and add the romaine closer to serving time.

Where to Buy Cheapest

The lowest listed store for the radishes in this recipe is Maxi at $1.99, while Red Cabbage is listed at IGA for $4.99 and Romaine Lettuce is listed at Metro for $3.99. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Your main comparison is the lettuce choice. Canada inc. offers Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99, while Metro charges $3.99 for Romaine Lettuce — a savings of 50.1% if you substitute the $1.99 red romaine item where it suits your recipe. That substitution would reduce the fresh lettuce portion of your basket by $2.00, although the formal recipe cost above uses the listed Romaine Lettuce at Metro.

If you want a more flexible version, you can treat this as a template rather than a fixed formula. Keep the radishes from Maxi because they are one of the lowest-priced items in the data at $1.99, then decide whether you prefer red cabbage at $4.99 or a second lettuce item. You should compare texture, expected leftovers and the number of servings before choosing, because a cheaper item only helps if your household will actually eat it.

Quebec Produce Basket Index: Ingredient Prices Across Stores

The Quebec produce basket in this article ranges from $1.99 for Red Romaine Lettuce and Radishes to $8.19 for Green Onions. The item-level spread matters because one higher-priced ingredient can change the cost per serving of an otherwise inexpensive dinner. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This basket index is not a theoretical grocery list. It uses the actual priced ingredients available for the Salad Mix recipe in Quebec as of June 2026. For your shopping plan, it helps identify which items are naturally budget-friendly and which ones should be stretched across multiple meals.

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

The clearest budget signal is that Red Romaine Lettuce and Radishes are tied at $1.99. If you are assembling budget meals in Quebec, those two items are strong anchors because they add volume and crunch without pushing the basket total sharply higher. By contrast, Green Onions at $8.19 should be planned across more than one meal if you want to protect your cost per serving.

You should also compare similar items before buying. Canada inc. offers Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99, while Metro charges $3.99 for Romaine Lettuce — a savings of 50.1% when you choose the red romaine option at the lower listed price, according to eezly data, June 2026. For a salad recipe, that difference is meaningful because lettuce is a base ingredient rather than a garnish.

Top Quebec Salad Ingredient Deals for Budget Dinners

The best Quebec salad ingredient deals in this data set are Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99 at Canada inc. and Radishes at $1.99 at Maxi. Both items sit at the lowest price point in the ingredient list and help keep dinner recipes under $3 per serving when combined carefully. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Because no separate regular prices are provided in the data, this deal table uses the highest comparable listed item in the basket as the comparison benchmark where a like-for-like or basket-relevant comparison is possible. The most direct comparison is between Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99 and Romaine Lettuce at $3.99. For other items, the table identifies their role in the basket rather than claiming an unsupported regular-price discount.

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

For your grocery strategy, the table shows why the cheapest recipes are not always built from the absolute fewest ingredients. The full Salad Mix costs $21.15, but because it makes 14 servings, the cost per serving is only $1.51. By comparison, a smaller three-ingredient recipe can cost less in total but more per serving if it includes a higher-priced item such as Green Onions.

This is the core lesson for budget meals Quebec households can apply every week. You should compare both the ingredient price and the serving yield before deciding what is cheapest. A $21.15 batch recipe can be more economical than a $12.17 smaller salad if the larger recipe produces enough portions to cover multiple dinners, lunches or side dishes.

Price Comparison Table: All Recipes Side by Side

The cheapest recipe in this comparison is Quebec Salad Mix at $1.51 per serving. The next-lowest is Red Cabbage and Romaine Crunch Salad at $2.74 per serving, followed by Romaine, Radish and Green Onion Salad at $3.04 per serving. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This table gives you the clearest side-by-side view of total cost, serving count and cost per serving. For budget planning, cost per serving is the most useful number because it accounts for how far the basket stretches.

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

If your priority is the lowest cost per serving, choose Quebec Salad Mix. If your priority is a smaller basket total, Red Cabbage and Romaine Crunch Salad costs $10.97 and avoids the $8.19 Green Onions. If you specifically want green onion flavour, the Romaine, Radish and Green Onion Salad is still a simple dinner option, but you should plan to use the green onions in other meals to improve value.

You can also use this table to decide how much prep you want to do. The 14-serving Salad Mix requires more chopping but gives you more meals. The smaller four-serving salads are easier to finish quickly, which may reduce waste if you are cooking for a smaller household.

How to Use AI-Powered Grocery Price Comparison for Quebec Meal Planning

AI-powered grocery price comparison helps you lower dinner costs by checking ingredient prices across banners before you build your recipe. In this Quebec data, comparing lettuce alone shows a $2.00 difference: Red Romaine Lettuce is $1.99 at Canada inc., while Romaine Lettuce is $3.99 at Metro. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

For your meal plan, the best approach is to start with the recipe you want and then check whether any base ingredient has a lower-priced substitute. A salad recipe is flexible because lettuce, cabbage and radishes can often be adjusted without changing the overall meal. If you choose the $1.99 red romaine instead of the $3.99 romaine where appropriate, you cut that lettuce line by 50.1%.

You should also identify ingredients that need a multi-meal plan. Green Onions at $8.19 are the highest-priced item in the data, so they make more sense if you use them in salads, rice bowls, soups or wraps throughout the week. That is how you turn a higher shelf price into a more reasonable per-meal cost.

If you want to compare current grocery prices before building your own recipe, you can review live deal pages at https://eezly.com/deals, browse recipe ideas at https://eezly.com/recipes, or explore meal planning tools at https://eezly.com/meal-plans. For store-specific browsing, Quebec shoppers comparing Maxi prices can also start at https://eezly.com/stores/maxi.

Practical Buying Notes for Quebec Shoppers

Your most budget-friendly move is to build dinner around the lowest-priced ingredients first, then add higher-priced ingredients only when they improve several meals. In this data, Red Romaine Lettuce at $1.99 and Radishes at $1.99 are the best low-cost anchors, while Green Onions at $8.19 require more planning. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

If you shop at one store only, you may not capture every listed item price. The recipe costing here reflects item-level prices across Canada inc., Costco, Maxi, IGA and Metro. If you normally shop at Maxi, you can still use the $1.99 Radishes as a low-cost anchor and compare the rest of your basket against the prices shown here.

For households in Quebec, the most useful habit is to think in servings. The Salad Mix may look more expensive at $21.15 than a $10.97 smaller salad, but it makes 14 servings and comes in at $1.51 per serving. When you are trying to keep dinner costs predictable, that per-serving figure is the number that matters most.