1. Start the couscous.

Heat 3 cups of broth (not all 3 1/2 cups) in a saucepan over high heat until boiling. Add the 1 pinch of saffron and the 1 cup of pearl cous cous (or similar pasta/grains mix). Reduce the heat to simmering and cook, uncovered, for the recommended time based on the pasta / grains mix instructions.

Note: The recipe on the pasta instructions probably recommends adding about 1 cup of broth or water and then covering the pasta while it cooks. This way, the pasta absorbs all of the broth. I like my way better for this dish. You’re left with about 1/2 cup of starchy broth at the end,  which combines really well with the vegetables. 

2. While the couscous cooks, prepare the vegetables.

Cut your 2 cups of cherry tomatoes in half (or quarter them if you prefer them to be a bit smaller) and put them in the bottom of the serving bowl, piled high to one side.

Note: For little kids who don’t like tomatoes, smaller pieces are probably better so that little bits of tomato will get mixed into the dish that are not obvious. This way the kids will get more of a taste of the tomatoes whether or not they’re willing to try the larger tomato pieces. Eventually, they’ll learn to like tomatoes!

Halve your 20 kalamata olives, lengthwise. Place them in the serving bowl on top of the  tomatoes.

Squeeze 1 lemon over the tomatoes and olives. (I usually do this over a mesh strainer to catch any seeds that pop out of the lemon.)

Cut the 3 ounces  fresh mozzarella into little pieces (about 1/2 inch wide wedges). 

Place the chopped fresh mozzarella to the side of the serving bowl, on top of the tomatoes. See image below. The idea is that the mozzarella should be as high as possible off of the bottom of the bowl. This way, when you pour the pasta into the serving bowl, the fresh mozzarella will be above the hot pasta and will not melt. The tomatoes and the olives, however, will get nice and warm. When you mix everything together, the pasta will have cooled enough from the vegetables so that the mozzarella won’t melt.

3. Cook the spinach.

Once the pasta/grain mixture finishes cooking, there is probably about 1/2 cup of broth remaining in the pot (if there is a lot more, you can pour off the extra). Pour everything, pasta and broth, into the bowl over the tomatoes and olives, avoiding the fresh mozzarella. The broth and the pasta will heat up the vegetables while you steam the spinach. 

Using the same saucepan, add the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and the spinach (as much as will fit comfortably – for me this is about 5 ounces in my usual saucepan). Heat over high heat until the spinach starts to wilt. Stir, and then add more spinach. Continue until all the spinach has wilted.

While the spinach wilts, wash and chop up the 3 tablespoons of basil.

Once the spinach has all wilted, pour off any remaining broth (I don’t recommend adding this broth to your dish). Then add the spinach to the serving bowl, to the side opposite of the mozzarella – again, we don’t want the mozzarella to get hot and melt. See the image below. Top the spinach with the basil.

4. Toss everything together & enjoy!

Top with olive oil if you’d like (I usually skip, because the broth provides a sauce, but my husband prefers his with some olive oil – he will drizzle olive oil onto his once it’s on his plate). Then toss everything together. I start mixing on the side of the bowl where the spinach is, to try to mix the spinach in first. I try to leave the cheese to mix in last.