Vegetarian grocery list

Protein, spread out and without the fuss

The usual worry when dropping meat is where the protein comes from. Short answer: legumes, eggs, dairy, tofu and nuts — and this cart covers it comfortably without a single specialty product.

You also don't need to pair legumes with grains in the same meal, the way people were told decades ago. Eating varied across the day handles it, which frees the list from rules that only complicate cooking.

What makes a vegetarian cart expensive

Not the vegetables — the substitutes. Veggie burgers, plant-based deli slices and branded plant milks can double the receipt, and most are ultra-processed with a healthy-looking label.

• Dried beans instead of canned when you have soaking time: a fraction of the price per pound.
• Homemade hummus from chickpeas, tahini and lemon instead of tubs: less than half the cost.
• Plain tofu instead of pre-marinated, which charges triple for the sauce.
• Nuts from the bulk bin, where the per-pound gap is widest.

What's actually worth watching

Two things, and neither is protein. Plant-based iron absorbs less readily, and pairing legumes and spinach with some vitamin C helps — a squeeze of lemon or an orange afterward is enough. That's why the lemons and oranges on this list aren't decorative.

Vitamin B12 is the other one. In an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet, eggs and dairy usually cover it, but if you're leaning vegan it's worth supplementing. That stops being a grocery question and becomes one for your doctor.

How the week breaks down

About twelve meals: lentil soup twice, chickpea curry and chickpea salad, tofu stir fry, mushroom pasta, frittatas and scrambles, quinoa bowls with roasted vegetables, and black beans with rice.

The Sunday tray of roasted vegetables — peppers, eggplant, zucchini, onion — earns its keep hardest: it's a side, a filling, a bowl topping and a sandwich.