Budget Shepherd's Pie (Pâté Chinois) for 4 (~$13)
The Quebec classic shepherd's pie, built for budget: ground beef, corn and potatoes — three frequently-on-sale staples. About $3.25 per serving.
Ingredients
- 450 g (1 lb) medium ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 can (398 ml) whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 can (398 ml) cream-style corn
- 6 medium potatoes (about 1 kg / 2 lb)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt, pepper and paprika to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes and boil in salted water 15–20 minutes until tender.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until well browned. Season with salt and pepper.
- Drain the potatoes, add the milk and butter, then mash until smooth.
- In a baking dish, layer the beef, then the whole corn mixed with the cream-style corn, and top with the mashed potatoes.
- Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 190 °C (375 °F) for 15 minutes, until the top is lightly golden.
Shepherd's pie — pâté chinois in Quebec — is probably the most economical meal in the local repertoire, and for good reason. Its three layers rest on ingredients that show up constantly in flyer specials: ground beef, canned corn and potatoes. You don't need to wait for a specific week; these are staples that rotate through promotions regularly at Maxi, Super C, IGA and Metro.
Why this recipe stays cheap all year
The secret to a genuinely cheap meal isn't chasing a one-time sale — it's building the dish around structurally affordable basics. Medium ground beef, canned corn and potatoes are among the cheapest proteins and starches per kilo in Quebec, no matter the week.
For 4 people, you're looking at about $13 total, or ~$3.25 per serving — with leftovers often enough for next day's lunch.
Tips to push the cost down further
- Buy ground beef in the family pack when it's on special, then freeze it in 450 g portions.
- Potatoes in a 5 or 10 lb bag cost far less per kilo than loose ones.
- Canned corn keeps for months: stock up a little when it dips below a dollar.
Variations
Swap part of the beef for cooked lentils to cut cost and add fibre, or add a layer of grated carrots between the meat and corn to stretch the recipe.
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