This copycat of Old Spaghetti Factory’s Mizithra Pasta is amazing! I love when we can nail down a favorite dish from one of our favorite places. This recipe only has a few ingredients but it is all about the way it is prepared and the process of browning the butter. The best part? This recipe will be a favorite of your pickiest eaters! 🙂
Look for Mizithra cheese in the deli at your grocery store. It is usually not on the cheese aisle. It can be found spelled as either Mizithra or Myzithra.
How to Make Mizithra Pasta
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total: 14 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti noodles
- 1 cup butter (no substitutes)
- 6 ounces Mizithra cheese finely grated
- fresh basil as an optional garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain.
- While pasta is cooking, start slowly melting butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until golden brown. The butter will foam up and rise, but just keep stirring until it turns brown.
- Remove pan from heat and pour melted butter into a tempered glass bowl or measuring bowl. Allow the sediment to settle at the bottom of the bowl for a few minutes.
- Do not stir up the sediments in the pan, you want the clear butter separated from the sediment at the bottom.
- Pour the browned butter into a separate bowl, again, keeping the butter separated from the sediment.
- Toss the pasta with the butter when it is ready.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of Myzithra cheese. Stir the remaining cheese into the butter coated pasta.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Garnish with sliced fresh basil (optional).
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 531mg | Potassium: 160mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 17.9% | Calcium: 25.5% | Iron: 5.2%
Tried this recipe?Mention @favoritefamilyrecipes or tag #favoritefamilyrecipes!
Abby says
September 29, 2008 at 5:07 amI can’t believe you love this too! I used to go to Old Spagetti factory all the time just for this! Then take it home and read Homers Odyssey.
Eli & Mandy says
October 24, 2008 at 7:22 pmI just wanted to let you know that this is one of my favorite dishes at OSF! I made it last night for dinner and it was WAY good. My husband loved it as well. Thanks!
Eli & Mandy says
October 24, 2008 at 7:22 pmI just wanted to let you know that this is one of my favorite dishes at OSF! I made it last night for dinner and it was WAY good. My husband loved it as well. Thanks!
Erica says
October 24, 2008 at 7:26 pmThanks! I love it too. Now if I can just create Spumoni…. haha
Heather says
September 24, 2009 at 1:23 amThank you so much! My husband and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this…and now we can make it ourselves. (And we have already – 2 times). Your recipe is right on. Thanks.
Gourmified says
March 8, 2010 at 12:36 amWhere do you find mizithra cheese, though? That's where I'm stumped.
Lisa
[email protected]
Leslie Edwards says
June 2, 2016 at 11:09 pmI found some at Fred Meyers.
K Miller says
August 25, 2017 at 5:56 pmYou can buy it IN BAGS FROM OSF, or at COSTCO sometimes.
Fran Roberts says
September 27, 2017 at 11:09 amSafeway stores carry it. The Spaghetti Factory restaurant now carries it for sale. We bought a 5 oz. package for $5.00 when we were there for lunch the other day.
Shirley Burkenbine says
November 28, 2017 at 12:27 pmOrder fromcheese from Amazon. I looked everywhere and couldn’t find it.s
Nancy says
January 14, 2018 at 6:19 pmI bought some at the Old Spaghetti Factory – a 5 oz. tub!
Cheese Meister says
June 14, 2018 at 2:30 pmI found the Old Spaghetti Factory brand cheese at Sprouts, so if you’re lucky you can find the exact stuff they use.
Erica says
March 8, 2010 at 2:16 amIt's kind of hard to find. We found ours in our local grocery store next to the specialty cheeses.. you might have to look around a bit to find a store that carries it
Chelsea says
April 27, 2010 at 11:25 pmHi Erica!
I've been spending the paste hour looking through your blog and LOVING so many recipes you have here! I'm so excited to start trying some of them.
I was wondering if have made a spaghetti sauce that tastes like the Rich Meat Sauce from OSF! I love that place!!!! (chelstep28 at yahoo dot com)
Thank you so much for your time! 🙂
Chelsea
Kim says
July 13, 2012 at 2:14 pmI can’t wait to make this. I found mizithra at Pike’s Market in Seattle. But…. How much is a cube of butter? Reply ASAP.
Thank you in advance.
Erica says
July 13, 2012 at 8:37 pm1 cube = 1 stick = 1/2 cup hope this helps!
Taunya says
August 15, 2013 at 5:40 pmOh my goodness! My all time fave! It’s what’s for dinner tomorrow for sure!!! Yippee
Tammy P. says
June 26, 2014 at 1:26 pmOh, I used to work at The Old Spaghetti Factory back in the 80’s and previously had never heard of Mizithra…I even had to help my customers pronounce it. However, this became my favorite dish along w/ added meat sauce. I surely will have to give this recipe a try!
Melissa Foust says
October 1, 2014 at 10:39 amI am going to feature your recipe on my blog, I hope that’s okay? I will link them back to this page. This is my favorite all time dish and you nailed it! Thanks! https://themissylife.wordpress.com/
Patrick P. says
November 22, 2015 at 11:16 amWhile I’m browning the butter, I like to add some finely chopped garlic, a little freshly ground black pepper, and some finely shredded Mizithra (this will give you a little bit of crunchy taste of the Mizithra). Then pour the browned butter over your pasta on each individual plate, grate some more Mizithra over the pasta using the larger holes in the grater, sprinkle some chopped parsley on top and enjoy.
Erica says
November 23, 2015 at 11:00 amGreat suggestions! Thank you!!
Sydney says
December 30, 2015 at 3:31 pmWe love browned butter EVERYTHING in our home. This pasta tastes delightful the way you have it – but you really should try pulling those yummy bits of carmelized milk fats up from the bottom of the pan. It will blow your mind! We eat the WHOLE entire butter after browning. Delicious!
Steve in Detroit says
March 13, 2016 at 1:41 amMe too! Its awesome! I am lucky enough to find Mizithra here, and also at my other home in Clearwater, but fo those who can’t find it, freshly grated parm or romano is a good substitute.. Very similar in flavor. (never use the stuff in the green can, it doesn’t work)..
Marsha says
July 29, 2016 at 4:25 pmDo you use salted or unsalted butter?
Erica says
August 2, 2016 at 9:55 pmsalted 😉
Pamela says
December 6, 2016 at 11:26 amWhen I cook my mizithri I always add fresh mushrooms and cooked chopped bacon. Its absolutely delicious!
Echo says
December 7, 2016 at 10:26 amGreat idea! Thanks!
Janet says
February 5, 2018 at 8:33 pmMy sister and I just now finished having this awesome dish for dinner. I found the OSF mitzra cheese at Sprouts. Yum.
Shannon says
August 21, 2018 at 9:48 pmHelp…I love this recipe but have never done browned butter before. I think I’m misunderstanding a step. When the butter is seperated into the clear liquid and the solids, do you pour just the liquid on the pasta or all of it? And if just the liquid, how do keep the heavier parts from going onto the pasta too when you pour?
Favorite Family Recipes says
August 22, 2018 at 9:33 amWhen you brown butter you want to stir it constantly– You don’t want it to separate into liquids and solids. It should be stirred together and all brown. Keep an eye on it though because it can go from brown to burnt quickly!
Kristi G says
May 6, 2019 at 4:07 amSpaghetti Factory will sell you some.