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Our version of The Old Spaghetti Factory’s Mizithra Pasta is AMAZING. It is a rich and buttery dish that your whole family will love.
Featured with this recipe
I loved going to The Old Spaghetti Factory as a kid. I loved sitting in the streetcar and getting spumoni ice cream with every meal. The absolute best part of the experience, though, was the Mizithra Pasta. It was buttery and cheesy and I licked the plate clean every time. I love when we can nail down a favorite dish from one of our favorite places. This recipe is very simple – only a couple of ingredients – but it is sure to please any dinner crowd.
Ingredients in Mizithra Pasta
This rich, delicious copycat recipe comes together with only FOUR ingredients. It’s one of the easiest pasta dishes you’ll ever make!
- 16 ounces Spaghetti noodles – one pound or 16 ounces of spaghetti. You can use angel hair, linguine, or fettuccini noodles, whatever you have on hand.
- Butter – two sticks, or one cup. You can use unsalted butter or regular butter but don’t substitute for margarine or anything else. You need the butter in this recipe! Everything in moderation, right?
- Mizithra cheese – a greek cheese, about six ounces, finely grated. You can find mizithra cheese at Trader Joe’s, Harmon’s, Sprouts, and other grocery stores.
- Fresh basil – this is optional, but delicious and so pretty as a garnish. You can also garnish with fresh parsley too.
Other Ingredient Ideas
Authentic Mizithra Pasta is very simple with just the ingredients listed above. However, if you would like to add some additional ingredients to give it a little more flavor and variety here are some ideas.
- Garlic
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Bacon
- Black Pepper
What is Mizithra Cheese?
Mizithra (sometimes spelled Myzithra) cheese is a Greek whey cheese made from goat’s and sheep’s milk. When it is first made, it resembles ricotta cheese, with a more mild taste, but then it can be salt-dried into a harder cheese. This harder type of Mizithra cheese is considered Greek cuisine’s parmesan or Romano cheese and is most commonly used to grate over fresh pasta. The salt drying process gives it a salty, nutty flavor that adds so much to this dish! If you can’t find mizithra cheese, feta has a similar flavor and texture and is a good substitute. Mascarpone and cotija cheese are other good options.
Where to Find Mizithra Cheese
Finding Mizithra cheese can be a little tricky. I usually have to look in the deli section of the grocery store in their “fancy” cheese display. It can be spelled Mizithra or Myzithra. Most stores sell it by the pound and offer different sized blocks that you can choose from. It is a little pricier of a cheese, but I promise it is so worth it!!
What is Brown Butter?
You might be thinking “What is brown butter? I’ve never seen that at the store,” and you’re right! Brown butter is made by cooking regular butter until it turns a lovely brown color. Cooking the butter gives it this incredibly deep flavor that goes well with savory dishes, like this Mizithra Pasta, but also sweet dishes like our Brown Butter Pecan Pie!
How to Make Brown Butter
The most important thing to remember when making brown butter is to boil it over medium heat. You don’t want it to burn!! Start with a light colored pan, so you can see the color of the butter easier at the bottom of the pan. Once the butter melts and gets hot, it will start to foam. I like to pick up the pan and swirl it around a little to help me see the color through the foam. Once the butter turns a deep golden brown, and you start to smell a little bit of a nutty smell – it is ready! Transfer it to a heat-safe small bowl and let the milk particles sink to the bottom while it cools. Then transfer it to a different bowl, trying to leave most of the solid particles behind. You can also strain it through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mizithra Pasta
Unlike parmesan cheese, fresh mizithra cheese does not have a rind, but develops one as it ages. The flavors are very similar, with a nutty, salty bite that pairs perfectly with pasta.
It actually doesn’t melt fully down, which is why it’s perfect in this pasta dish. You’ll get an extra burst of flavor when you get an extra little bit with your pasta.
Tightly wrap and store cheese in the refrigerator and it should stay fresh for up to six months. You can also freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to one year.
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How to Make Mizithra Pasta
The Old Spaghetti Factory’s Mizithra Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (no substitutes)
- 16 ounces spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
- 6 ounces Mizithra cheese, finely grated, divided
- fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Slowly melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until golden brown about 4 minutes. 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 sediment; you want the clear butter separated from the sediment at the bottom. Pour the browned butter into a separate bowl, keeping the butter separated from the sediment. Discard the sediment.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the butter. Reserve ½ cup mizithra cheese. Stir the remaining cheese into the butter-coated pasta.
- Sprinkle reserved ½ cup cheese on top. Garnish with sliced fresh basil.
- Serve immediately.
The Old Spaghetti Factory was one of my kids’ favorite places to eat when they were growing up in San Diego. I don’t think I ever had anything other than the Mizithra Pasta, and of course I remember the Spumoni at the end! This recipe is just like I remember, though I did omit the basil topping. I live in a very Greek community, so no trouble finding the cheese anytime I need it. Thanks for sharing this very repeatable recipe!
This is yummy! I used a little less than half the amount of browned butter and the other half EVOO. Topped it off as written with mizithra and fresh basil ribbons. Served with a green salad. Family loved it.
I love this recipe because it’s so easy, has a few ingredients and is delicious
This dish was very dry. What can I do next time to prevent that? Also the cheese didn’t melt is it not suppose to?
Mizithra cheese doesn’t melt like other cheeses. If the dish was dry, maybe the butter to pasta ratio was off!
A couple of things:
1) If you can’t find Mizithra cheese, an acceptable substitute is a fine grated combination of Romano cheese and Kasseri cheese.
2) I have never had basil sprinkled on my Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese Spagetti when I have eaten at Old Spagetti Factory and we eat there frequently and order this every time. I will sprinkle on Black Pepper, but that would be it.
3) I am thrilled they now serve Steamed Broccoli sprinkled liberally with Mizithra Cheese and will order that as an a side dish to the Spagetti.
Sprouts Farmers Market (stores mostly in the western US, but now starting to appear in other regions of the country) carries the Old Spaghetti Factory branded mizithra cheese, shredded in a tub. The one closest to me in Greenville, SC, didn’t have it on the online list of products carried in that store, but it did indeed have it in the dairy case when I visited recently (April). So if you have a Sprouts near you, try there. Also, The Fresh Market chain sells solid disk of mizithra cheese (find it in the gourmet cheese case), if that supermarket chain is near you. You’ll have to shred or grate it yourself, but it may keep longer than the pre-shredded version sold at Sprouts.
Thank you for sharing this info!
This is so great to find because I love the Old Spaghetti Factory’s “The Homer” which is this dish. Just browned buttered and mizithra cheese – if you haven’t tried it, it’s really good. I’ve only been able to find mizithra cheese twice in my community – the one store that sold it closed, but I just discovered it this afternoon in the store that replaced it, so snatched it up a big ball. As I understand this cheese is often not available in early spring as the goat’s milk goes to newborn kids. It’s kind of expensive but so worth and lasts for about a year. Never had it with fresh basil, but I have a basil plant I can pinch some leaves off. Will be making this tomorrow.
Thanks!
You are going to love this recipe! Good to know why Mizithra cheese can be hard to find. Thank you for your comment.
I work at OSF…an easy step to avoid worrying about the butter getting mixed up is to run it SLOWLY thru a coffee filter while still hot, it catches all of the browned proteins, and leaves a beautiful clarified browned butter
Thanks for the tip. It’s a bit cumbersome separating the butter and I end up wasting some.
Sounds easy and doable for lent. Hope it’s as good as it sounds.
Sounds delicious. I think I never tasted Mizithra cheese. I must look in my market for it. I will give this try for sure.
WOW I love this at Olive Garden. So so yummy. And can’t believe what a delicious difference the browned butter makes. Thanks for this recipe!
I have never heard of The Old Spaghetti Factory, tho it sounds like an amazing place to go! This looks delicious and simple, will have to try it one day soon. I never heard of mizithra cheese either, but I am sure I can find it somewhere – hoping at least!
If you find a store that has a decent cheese selection, Mizithra is usually pretty easy to find. Let us know how you like it!
Spaghetti Factory will sell you some.
Help…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?
When 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!
My sister and I just now finished having this awesome dish for dinner. I found the OSF mitzra cheese at Sprouts. Yum.
When I cook my mizithri I always add fresh mushrooms and cooked chopped bacon. Its absolutely delicious!
Great idea! Thanks!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
salted 😉
We 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!
Me 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)..
I was just asking about the browned solids. I left it in. Great, nutty flavor!!
While 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.
Great suggestions! Thank you!!
Do you mean that you separated the bits from the browned butter before you added the the other stuff? Or did you leave the bits in, and added to spaghetti?
I 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/
Brown butter. Do most of you separate the solids out of the butter after browning? I didn’t. Is there much of a texture or taste difference if you don’t?
Oh, 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!
Oh my goodness! My all time fave! It’s what’s for dinner tomorrow for sure!!! Yippee
I 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.
1 cube = 1 stick = 1/2 cup hope this helps!
Hi, Kim:
You need 2 cubes of butter (suggestion: Challenge Salted Butter which sometimes come in a 2 cube 1/2 pound pkg, or most often, a 4 cube 1 pound pkg)….
If you decide to add crumbled cooked bacon, I’d use Oscar Meyer thick slice bacon….at least 1/2 of a pkg, or the whole thing, cooked, drained, and broken into smallish pieces. I’ve had it with bacon added (and mushroom pieces, too) at the Old Spaghetti Factory, and it is AWESOME! If someone in your family doesn’t like mushrooms, you could just add the bacon pieces (fresh, not container of bacon bits, please!).
If you wish to do a vegetarian dish, you can either make it as this recipe indicates with just the browned butter and cheese, or you could add the mushroom! If using mushroom pieces, be careful, as they put out a lot of water, so after you cut them thin or small and cook separately to brown (in more butter! Lol!), I’d drain them to get the excess water out. Then add them to the pasta and browned butter and mizithra but that’s just me…
Hope you enjoy it!
Hi 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
It'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
Where do you find mizithra cheese, though? That's where I'm stumped.
Lisa
gourmified@gmail.com
I found some at Fred Meyers.
You can buy it IN BAGS FROM OSF, or at COSTCO sometimes.
Safeway 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.
Order fromcheese from Amazon. I looked everywhere and couldn’t find it.s
I bought some at the Old Spaghetti Factory – a 5 oz. tub!
I found the Old Spaghetti Factory brand cheese at Sprouts, so if you’re lucky you can find the exact stuff they use.
Thank 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.
Thanks! I love it too. Now if I can just create Spumoni…. haha
I 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!
I 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!
I 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.