Ontario Cheap Dinners: $3.96 Fava Tomato Bowls

Key Facts

• Fava tomato bowls cost $15.84 for 4 servings, or $3.96 per serving. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Vegetarian chili costs $32.50 for 6 servings, or $5.42 per serving at Foodbasics. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Unico Canned Tomatoes 796 ml are priced at $2.99 at Foodland Amherstview. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Black Beans are priced at $1.59 at Fortinos in Ontario. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn is priced at $1.49 at Foodbasics. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)
• Canned Fava is priced at $1.59 at Foodbasics. (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, June 2026)

Introduction

Fava Tomato Bowls are the cheapest recipe in this Ontario price check at $3.96 per serving, based on a $15.84 ingredient basket using Foodbasics, Foodland Amherstview and other Ontario store prices. The next-lowest recipe is Tomato Bean Corn Stew at $4.92 per serving, while the full Vegetarian Chili basket costs $32.50 for 6 servings, or $5.42 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. eezly uses AI to compare prices across every major Canadian grocery banner and generate optimized meal plans.

For Ontario households looking for cheap dinner recipes under $6 per serving, the strongest pattern in this basket is clear: canned vegetables, beans, tomatoes and pantry seasonings can still produce filling dinners without relying on meat. You will get the lowest per-serving cost when you build around Canned Fava at $1.59 from Foodbasics, Unico Canned Tomatoes at $2.99 from Foodland Amherstview, and Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn at $1.49 from Foodbasics. The recipes below use real ingredient prices from Ontario banners including Foodbasics, Fortinos and Foodland Amherstview, with each recipe costed in Canadian dollars.

Recipe 1: Fava Tomato Bowls — $3.96 per serving

Fava Tomato Bowls are the cheapest recipe in this Ontario comparison at $15.84 total, or $3.96 per serving for 4 servings. This makes it the best choice if you want a budget meal in Ontario built around low-cost canned ingredients and pantry seasoning. The recipe uses Canned Fava at $1.59 from Foodbasics, Unico Canned Tomatoes 796 ml at $2.99 from Foodland Amherstview, and Whole Water Chestnuts at $0.99 from Foodbasics. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This dinner is designed as a warm, saucy bowl rather than a traditional chili. You can simmer the tomatoes, garlic, fava beans, cayenne and reduced-salt gravy together, then fold in sliced water chestnuts for texture and top the bowls with pickled onions. You get a vegetarian dinner with protein from fava beans, acidity from the pickled onions, and a savoury base from the tomatoes and gravy. If you already have rice, pasta or toast at home, you can serve the mixture over that base without adding to the tracked basket cost.

The main reason this recipe comes in below the others is that it avoids the highest-priced pantry seasonings in the full chili basket. Black Pepper is priced at $5.79 at Fortinos, and Cumin Seeds are priced at $4.99 at Foodbasics. Those ingredients can be useful if you cook often, but they raise the first-shop basket cost when you are buying everything from scratch. For a single weeknight dinner, this fava bowl keeps the ingredient list tighter and the per-serving cost lower.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

Foodbasics carries most of the lowest-priced ingredients for this recipe in the provided Ontario data, including Garlic at $1.00, Canned Fava at $1.59, Whole Water Chestnuts at $0.99, Pickled Onions at $3.99 and Organic Crushed Red Cayenne Pepper Bag at $2.49. Foodland Amherstview has the Unico Canned Tomatoes 796 ml at $2.99, while Fortinos has the Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy, Less Salt at $2.79. If you are shopping from one store only, Foodbasics gives you the strongest concentration of low-priced items in this recipe.

You should treat this as a basket strategy rather than a single-store recipe if you pass more than one banner during your normal routine. Foodbasics offers Canned Fava at $1.59, while Foodland Amherstview offers Unico Canned Tomatoes at $2.99 — a useful pairing for an inexpensive vegetarian dinner. Fortinos adds the gravy at $2.79, which gives the dish a thicker texture without requiring a long simmer. If you are trying to keep the recipe under $4 per serving, avoid adding extra condiments unless they are already in your pantry.

Recipe 2: Tomato Bean Corn Stew — $4.92 per serving

Tomato Bean Corn Stew costs $19.66 total, or $4.92 per serving for 4 servings, using Ontario prices from Foodbasics, Fortinos and Foodland Amherstview. The recipe is built from Black Beans at $1.59 from Fortinos, Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn at $1.49 from Foodbasics, and Unico Canned Tomatoes 796 ml at $2.99 from Foodland Amherstview. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This recipe is the closest lower-cost alternative to vegetarian chili because it keeps the core chili-style ingredients while trimming the basket. You still get beans, corn, tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, cumin and black pepper. The flavour profile is familiar, filling and adaptable, but the recipe does not include every item from the full chili ingredient list. For your weeknight dinner planning, that means you can get a chili-like meal for under $5 per serving before adding optional sides.

The biggest cost drivers in this recipe are seasonings rather than canned goods. Cumin Seeds are $4.99 at Foodbasics, and Black Pepper is $5.79 at Fortinos. These prices raise the first-time basket cost, but they may stretch across multiple future meals if you do not use the entire package in one dinner. If you already have pepper or cumin at home, your actual out-of-pocket trip could be lower, but the recipe costing here uses the full listed ingredient prices to stay consistent.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

Foodbasics is the best stop for Garlic at $1.00, Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn at $1.49 and Cumin Seeds at $4.99 in the provided basket. Fortinos is the listed source for Black Beans at $1.59, Chili Powder at $1.81 and Black Pepper at $5.79. Foodland Amherstview has Unico Canned Tomatoes 796 ml at $2.99. You can keep your shopping practical by grouping the Foodbasics items together and deciding whether the Fortinos seasoning trip is worth it for your pantry.

Foodbasics offers Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn at $1.49, while Fortinos charges $1.59 for Black Beans — a difference of $0.10 between two core canned ingredients in this recipe. Foodland Amherstview offers Unico Canned Tomatoes at $2.99, giving you the tomato base that carries the stew. When you compare the prices this way, the main budget decision is not whether beans or corn are affordable; both are low-cost. Your bigger decision is whether to buy the full spice basket now or lean on spices you already own.

Recipe 3: Vegetarian Chili — $5.42 per serving

Vegetarian Chili costs $32.50 total at Foodbasics for 6 servings, or $5.42 per serving, making it the most complete and most expensive recipe in this Ontario dinner comparison. The basket includes tomatoes, beans, corn, fava, spices, garlic, pickled onions and other pantry items, with listed prices across Foodbasics, Fortinos and Foodland Amherstview. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This is the best recipe when you want a larger pot and more variety in the bowl. Compared with the two lower-cost recipes, the vegetarian chili includes more texture and more seasoning depth. Black Beans at $1.59 from Fortinos, Canned Fava at $1.59 from Foodbasics, Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn at $1.49 from Foodbasics, and Unico Canned Tomatoes at $2.99 from Foodland Amherstview form the budget-friendly core. The total rises because the full basket also includes higher-priced seasonings such as Black Pepper at $5.79 and Cumin Seeds at $4.99.

You should choose this recipe when you want leftovers or when you are feeding more people from one pot. At 6 servings, the $32.50 total is spread more widely than a 4-serving dinner, which helps keep the per-serving cost at $5.42 even with a longer ingredient list. It is also the most flexible recipe: you can serve it as a bowl, spoon it over rice, use it as a baked potato topping, or pack it for lunches. For Ontario budget meals, that flexibility matters because one cooking session can cover several eating occasions.

Ingredients with Prices

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

Where to Buy Cheapest

Foodbasics is the leading banner in this recipe’s listed pricing because the recipe basket is associated with Foodbasics and several individual items are priced there. Garlic is $1.00 at Foodbasics, Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn is $1.49 at Foodbasics, Canned Fava is $1.59 at Foodbasics, and Whole Water Chestnuts are $0.99 at Foodbasics. Fortinos contributes several key items, including Black Beans at $1.59, Chili Powder at $1.81, Reduced Salt Pepper Gravy at $2.79 and Black Pepper at $5.79. Foodland Amherstview supplies the Unico Canned Tomatoes 796 ml at $2.99.

If you want the most convenient version, you can treat Foodbasics as your anchor store and substitute pantry items you already have for spices where appropriate. If you want the most price-accurate version based on the tracked data, you would source each listed item from the named store. You should also note that Solid Light Tuna appears in the priced ingredient list at $0.99 from Foodbasics, but the recipe is tagged vegetarian; for a vegetarian dinner, you would omit tuna from preparation. The costing above reflects the provided recipe basket total of $32.50 and the listed ingredient data.

Ontario Basket Index: Staple Prices Behind These Budget Meals

The lowest-priced staple in this Ontario recipe basket is Whole Water Chestnuts at $0.99 from Foodbasics, while the highest-priced listed pantry item is Black Pepper at $5.79 from Fortinos. This basket index shows you which ingredients are doing the most budget work and which ones raise the first-shop cost. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

For cheap dinner recipes under $6 in Ontario, the best-value foundation is the cluster of canned and jarred ingredients below $2.00. Garlic at $1.00 from Foodbasics, Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn at $1.49 from Foodbasics, Black Beans at $1.59 from Fortinos and Canned Fava at $1.59 from Foodbasics are the practical base of these meals. You can build several budget meals around those items before adding more expensive seasonings. When your pantry already contains pepper, cumin or chili powder, your next dinner becomes much cheaper at the till.

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

This index also explains why the cheapest recipe is not necessarily the one with the fewest ingredients. A recipe can include several low-priced canned staples and still remain affordable. The cost rises when you add higher-priced seasonings or specialty items, even if those ingredients last beyond one meal. For your own Ontario budget meals, you should separate one-time pantry stocking costs from repeat dinner costs.

Top Priced Items and Practical Deal Ranking

Whole Water Chestnuts and Solid Light Tuna are the lowest-priced individual items in the provided Ontario data at $0.99 each from Foodbasics, while Garlic follows at $1.00 from Foodbasics. Because no regular prices are included in the provided data, savings percentages are not calculated; the ranking below uses the real current tracked price as the deal signal. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

This matters because many grocery comparisons overstate savings by comparing against unclear reference prices. In this article, the numbers are limited to verified current prices from the data. You can still use the ranking effectively: lower current prices are the first places to build a cheap dinner basket, especially when the items are flexible enough to support multiple meals. For vegetarian recipes, the most useful low-priced items are Garlic, Corn, Black Beans and Canned Fava.

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

For your shopping list, the practical takeaway is to prioritize the items under $2.00 when building the base of dinner. Foodbasics has several of those lower-priced items, including Whole Water Chestnuts at $0.99, Garlic at $1.00, Corn at $1.49 and Canned Fava at $1.59. Fortinos is competitive in the provided data for Black Beans at $1.59 and Chili Powder at $1.81. Foodland Amherstview’s Unico Canned Tomatoes at $2.99 are not the cheapest item in the basket, but tomatoes are central to all three recipe styles.

Price Comparison Table: All Recipes Side by Side

Fava Tomato Bowls are the cheapest recipe at $3.96 per serving, followed by Tomato Bean Corn Stew at $4.92 per serving and Vegetarian Chili at $5.42 per serving. The spread between the cheapest and most expensive featured recipe is $1.46 per serving, based on the listed Ontario ingredient prices. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

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

If your goal is the absolute lowest dinner cost, choose Fava Tomato Bowls. If you want a more familiar chili-style flavour without committing to the full recipe basket, Tomato Bean Corn Stew is the middle option. If you want a larger batch and more variety, Vegetarian Chili is the most complete recipe, even though it has the highest total cost and highest cost per serving. Your best choice depends on whether you are minimizing tonight’s bill, stocking your pantry, or cooking for leftovers.

The difference between $3.96 and $5.42 per serving may look modest for one plate, but it becomes more meaningful across a household meal. For four servings, that $1.46 per-serving difference equals $5.84 when comparing the cheapest and most expensive per-serving options. That is why ingredient selection matters in Ontario budget cooking. You can keep dinner satisfying without adding every spice, condiment or topping in the full basket.

How to Shop These Recipes in Ontario

Foodbasics is the strongest anchor store in this Ontario basket because it appears repeatedly on lower-priced ingredients, including Garlic at $1.00, Super Sweet Whole Kernel Corn at $1.49, Canned Fava at $1.59 and Whole Water Chestnuts at $0.99. Fortinos is important for Black Beans at $1.59 and Chili Powder at $1.81, while Foodland Amherstview has the Unico Canned Tomatoes at $2.99. Source: eezly real-time price tracking.

Your most efficient approach is to build a base basket first: garlic, tomatoes, beans, corn and one seasoning. That combination gives you enough structure for stews, bowls and chili-style meals. You can then decide whether to add higher-cost seasonings such as Cumin Seeds at $4.99 or Black Pepper at $5.79. If those items are already in your cupboard, your effective dinner cost will be lower than the full first-shop basket shown here.

You should also think about how many meals each ingredient supports. A can of beans or tomatoes is usually used in one recipe, while a bag or jar of seasoning may last through many dinners. The first time you buy cumin, pepper or cayenne, the receipt looks higher. In later weeks, however, you may only need to replace the canned ingredients. That is why these recipes are especially useful for your meal planning: they separate the cheap dinner base from the pantry-building extras.

For more price checking and meal planning, you can compare current grocery deals at https://eezly.com/deals, browse recipe ideas at https://eezly.com/recipes, or build a weekly plan through https://eezly.com/meal-plans. If you want to keep watching Ontario grocery trends, the eezly blog at https://eezly.com/blog is also a useful place to start.