10 Vegetarian Pantry Meal Ideas

10 vegetarian meals you can make with a well-stocked pantry or freezer. Plus a printable essential pantry list you can download and print before your next trip to the store.

The world has gotten a little crazy in the last week. My little family is doing our best to stay put and just be. Just be bored, a little stir crazy, and a little extra lazy. And like many of you, I'm doing my best to plan our meals and stock up on essentials so we have the foods that we need to make the meals that we like. I keep walking into the cupboard trying to figure out dinner.

So below are some of our favorites that I can cook from a list of basics. I thought I'd share in case you were running out of ideas too.

This is not just a list of bean and rice dishes. I've included recipes with long-lasting vegetables (sweet potatoes, white potatoes, cabbage, squash, onions) as well as some frozen staples.

My vegetarian pantry

Below is a list produce I'm grabbing when I make it into the store. Things that have a long life (either in the pantry or in the refrigerator) so I can shop once for a couple of weeks of meals:

Long-lasting Fresh Produce:

Squash - butternut, acorn, spaghetti
Brussels Sprouts or Cabbage (both seem to last forever)
Potatoes - white, red
Sweet potatoes (they don't last quite as long as white potatoes but will get you through a while)
Cauliflower and broccoli
Onions, shallots
Garlic and ginger root
Apples and bananas (I'll make bread if they get too ripe for eating)
A few tomatoes, avocados, sweet peppers to eat soon

Dairy / Refrigerator Section:

A variety of cheeses (feta, soft goat cheese, blocks of mozzarella, old cheddar)
Dairy - table cream
Almond, soy or oat milk
Yogurt - plain (plant-based or regular)
Butter - salted and unsalted, (or a vegan alternative like Earth Balance)

Freezer:

Frozen fruits (berry mixes, blueberries, cranberries, mango)
Frozen potatoes (fries, hash browns, and hash brown patties)
Frozen greens (kale or spinach)
Veggie burgers
Frozen vegetables: broccoli, lima beans, edamame, green sweet peas, carrots, sweet corn, and other vegetable mixes. I like to keep this simple

A few other staples:

Tortilla wraps
Hummus
Water packed tofu (check dates to be sure it will keep a while)
Pesto, olives, and pickles

Of course, this all assumes you have a well-stocked pantry already. And I'm thankful that I do have such a thing. If you need a solid pantry list, I've made a list for you!

This is not meant to be a complete list of everything / all the things I have in my pantry (that would be a long list!). Simply this is a list of things that will get you by and help you make a good number of dinners. This is a list of those things that I consider the backbone of my kitchen.

Download a copy of my essential pantry list so you can take stock before your next trip to the store:

Essential Pantry Checklist