Fitness influencer shares low-calorie bell pepper walnut pasta recipe with 20g protein per serve

Vanshika Khurana's pasta recipe has no added sugar, very little oil, and swaps cheese for low-fat paneer.

The year-end festivities are out of the way, but cravings are a constant in life. And if your resolution for 2026 is to eat healthy and stay fit, the journey is just beginning.

To make it bearable, it is important to eat not just healthy but also delicious foods. And fitness influencer Vanshika Khurana helps to do just that.

Taking to Instagram on 23 November 2025, she shared the recipe for smoky bell pepper walnut pasta, which is packed with 40 g of protein, the perfect pick-me-up after a brutal session in the gym. The recipe serves two, with each serving containing only 380 calories and 20g of protein.

Vanshika also shared a tip for cooking mushrooms for the pasta: “Never cook them in oil. Just add them to a hot pan and let them cook in their own water, and you get this beautiful umami flavour, and the house smells insane.”

Ingredients for bell pepper walnut pasta (serves 2):

• 1 bell pepper (charred completely)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3–4 garlic cloves
• 3–4 walnuts
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 4–5 cherry tomatoes
• 8–10 mushrooms, chopped
• 90g raw pasta (using lentil pasta boosts protein content)
• 120g low-fat paneer
• Salt + pepper
• Chilli flakes + oregano
• Basil leaves
• Chilli oil (optional)

Method of preparation:

1. Char the bell pepper till fully black - the smokiness is elite.
2. Heat 2 tsp olive oil and add garlic and walnuts.
3. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and let everything cook until it's mushy.
4. Boil the pasta till al dente and save that pasta water (non-negotiable).
5. Blend the tomato–onion base, charred bell pepper, 120g paneer, and pasta water until smooth and creamy.
6. In a hot pan, cook mushrooms without oil for 4-5 minutes till they smell insane.
7. Add the sauce, add the pasta, sprinkle chilli flakes and oregano, and let it cook for 5–6 minutes.
8. Finish with basil and optional chilli oil for that final glow-up.

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