A Nourishing Bowl of Super Green Pasta

Deliciously creamy and kind on the washing up

Hey! Jack here from this tiny life.

Before we dive into this week’s post, I just wanted to say a huge thank you for being here. We’re so grateful that you’ve joined us on this little journey. Gabby and I absolutely love writing these posts, cooking up new recipes, and sharing bits of life from our narrowboat.

If you're new here, we’d be thrilled to have you along for the ride! Each week, we share seasonal recipes, foraging notes, thoughts on slow living, veg patch tales, and other little snippets from our floating home in the Oxfordshire countryside.

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Early Spring

There’s such magic to this time of year—an uplifting energy as life stirs from its winter slumber. And goodness me, doesn’t it feel good?

I’m settling in to write this post after a little evening trot along the towpath. I’m currently midway through training for the Manchester marathon—not a brag, I promise. I ache too much to boast. Over the weekend, I did a long run, clocking up 14 miles on Sunday, and so today’s ‘recovery run’ is little more than a shuffle.

Still, it’s such a joy to be outside, feeling the fresh air fill my lungs. I’m the sort of person who likes running but doesn’t always love the thought of it. I’ll procrastinate, putting it off with various jobs until the only option left is to get those trainers on and haul myself out the door.

Once I’m out, though, it’s a different story. There’s so much to see at this time of year—daffodils popping up along the path and the first tiny buds appearing on the elderflower trees. I’m so grateful for the chance to just move through nature and take it all in. I’ll admit, a fair portion of my training runs involves stopping to soak in the scenery. Life is waking up, and it’s such a joy to notice the little signs of spring all around me.

Clip from a ‘short’ break during a run last week after spotting a pair of barn owls in the field opposite. Such a stunning sight, they glide through the air, almost sprite-like, soaring only a few metres above the ground, hunting any unsuspecting rodents.

Early spring feels so enlivening. There’s so much to do at home on our narrowboat—endless tinkering, a list of renovation jobs waiting to be tackled. Our seeds for the allotment have arrived, and the to-do list is growing. But in spring, a long list feels exciting—full of promise. In winter, it can feel like a weight—the short days, the cold, the instinct to hunker down. But spring shakes you awake, pulls you outside, and fills you with momentum.

With all this fresh energy, I’ve been craving food that feels just as alive—vibrant, hearty, wholesome. Lately, I’ve been drawn to deep, dark greens—rich, fortifying, packed with goodness. And that’s where this pasta comes in. Simple, made in just one pan, and the color—an incredible, striking emerald green— it’s the perfect nourishing meal to match the vim and vigour of the new season.

Serves 4 - takes around 10-15 mins

Ingredients

- A bunch of Cavolo Nero - around 200g

- 4 garlic cloves

- 150g ricotta

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- Lemon zest

- 300g pasta (I like rigatoni)

Method