Vegetarian Pantries For Real People

I am a new, part-time vegetarian and learning to cook the food has been an adventure. Going from cookbooks to the internet, it started to feel like I was going to have to become a farmer, mill my own wheat & carry a dictionary around so I could figure out what half the ingredients were.

Personally, I am not ashamed of canned or frozen vegetables, using quick cooking rice or a pasta that isn't necessarily whole grain.

Shopping at my everyday grocery store and the ability to take advantage of store sales and coupons is also really important. For avid couponers, stockpiling is the name of the game. Below is my list of budget conscious, stockpilable (I know, it's not a real word), everyday people, pantry staples for the new vegetarian cook. These items show up time and again in all kinds of recipes.

Canned Goods
Black Beans
Garbanzo Beans
Great Northern Beans
Pinto Beans
Kidney Beans
Green Chilies, chopped (4 oz can)
Tomato Paste
Tomatoes, diced or crushed
Vegetable Broth

Grains
Rice – preferably brown, quick cooking if desired

Pastas
Spaghetti
Ziti
Rotini

Herbs
I will assume people already have everyday spices like garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.

What I have been seeing a lot that I did not keep on hand before:
Turmeric
Cayenne Pepper
Curry Powder

Spice blends are pretty important for boosting flavors as well.
Italian Seasoning
Mrs. Dash or other salt free blends

Liquids
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Honey or Agave Nectar
White Vinegar
Red-Wine Vinegar

Misc. Groceries
Flour
White and Brown Sugars
Onions
Garlic


There is nothing weird here and with these items in you pantry, you will have the basic ingredients for a ton of different meals.