Hey! I'm Des!
Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.
Spaghetti with Browned Butter and Mizithra
Mizithra Pasta is an Old Spaghetti Factory Copycat. Tossed in nutty brown butter and mizithra cheese makes this an easy family favorite. And you just need a handful of ingredients!
If you are looking for a quick, easy, delectable pasta dish, look no further than this Mizithra Pasta. It is a copycat of the Old Spaghetti Factory recipe. The spaghetti factory was a favorite for my husband and I when we were dating and this was one of our favorite dishes to order. Trust me when I say it is always a hit with the entire family. The kiddos love slurping up the noodles, the adults love the sweet nuttiness of the browned butter with the salty mizithra cheese.
It is a winner all around! And the best part is you only need a handful of ingredients and you can whip it up in about 15 minutes.
Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make it.
What you’ll need:
- MIZITHRA CHEESE: Mizithra cheese is a dry sheep milk Greek cheese. While it can found as a soft cheese like ricotta, it is most often sold as a grating cheese. It has a salty taste and doesn’t really melt.
- ROMANO CHEESE: Also a hard grating Italian cheese, known for it’s pungent salty flavor.
- BUTTER: You can use salted or unsalted. Keep in mind that the cheese itself is salty so if you want better control over the saltiness of the final dish, use unsalted butter.
- PASTA: At the Old Spaghetti Factory, this is served with, YOU GUESSED IT, spaghetti. I prefer it that way but honestly you could use any pasta with this.
- SALT AND PEPPER: Adjust as needed.
- PARSLEY: To garnish.
How do you make Mizithra Pasta?
Despite the fact that “browned butter” sounds kinda fancy, one thing I love about this dish is how incredibly easy it is. Making browned butter is really easy, you just have to make sure that you watch it so that it doesn’t burn.
Follow along with these step by step instructions and photos.
Brown Butter. 
Skim foam off top. 
Drizzle butter over pasta and cheese and toss.
STEP #1: Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown the butter.
STEP #2: In a stainless steel skillet or pot, heat butter over medium heat, As butter melts, it will foam slightly. Continue to cook until you notice little brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan. Stir the butter or shake the pan and continue cooking until the butter is a tan color and has a nutty aroma. Skim foam off of the top as it cooks. Remove from heat and set it on a cool surface because it will continue to cook in the pan.
STEP #3: Strain your pasta and return it to the pasta pot. Pour browned butter over the top and sprinkle with mizithra cheese and romano. Toss to combine. Season to taste with fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.
STEP #4: Transfer to platter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
When I tell you that this dish is an entire family pleaser, I mean it! My husband and kiddos could not get enough of it. To round out the entire Spaghetti Factory dinner experience, I served this with fresh bread slathered with whipped garlic butter and creamy pesto dressing.
Note: This post was originally written in 2009. It was updated with new photos, an improved recipe and nutrition information in 2021.
Spaghetti with Browned Butter and Mizithra
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dried spaghetti
- 9 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted see notes)
- 1 cup grated mizithra cheese
- 1/2 cup romano cheese
- fresh cracked black pepper and kosher salt
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown your butter.
- In a stainless steel skillet or pot, heat butter over medium heat, As butter melts, it will foam slightly. Continue to cook until you notice little brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan. Stir the butter or shake the pan and continue cooking until the butter is a tan color and has a nutty aroma. Skim foam from the top as butter cooks. Remove from heat and set it on a cool surface because it will continue to cook in the pan.
- Strain your pasta and return it to the pasta pot or a large bowl. Pour browned butter over the top and sprinkle with mizithra cheese. Toss to combine. Season to taste with fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.
- Transfer to platter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Hey! I'm Des!
Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.
Bella Pappadopoulous
December 19, 2017 at 2:22 pmI made this tonight! Delicious. I also made the mizithra with goat milk a few days ago. I topped it with roasted zucchini and a bit of broccoli because I had no salad makings to accompany the pasta. Very satisfying.
Tara
June 7, 2013 at 11:07 amThis was wonderful! I found Mizithra at my local cheese shop and found your recipe when looking for something to make with it. This is the first time I have tried browning butter and I am hooked. I love how something so simple can have so much flavor.
Paul
April 8, 2013 at 12:33 pmI worked at Spag Fac, made a ton of this over a couple of years. What it is: Imported Greek cheese, the owners are Greek, mixed with some Ramano cheese. The butter is simple clearified and browned butter. Put half a pound of butter in a double boiler and melt, skim off the stuff on top and pour off the clear butter (you can by this at the market, calld Glee), gently heat the clear butter and let it darken, DONT BURN IT ON HIGH TEMP!!! The butter should taste nutty and be a nice deep brown. Simply cook sapg, put the mixed grated cheese on top, spoon butter over it. Done.
Laurie
September 11, 2012 at 9:31 amMy whole family liked it (and I have picky children).
Cynthia
March 22, 2012 at 1:18 pmIt’s been years since I’ve had Mizithra cheese. I ‘d love to be able to find it at my food stores but have yet to. Love the Spaghetti Factory in Honolulu and my favorites were the Clam sauce and Mizithra cheese and the Mushroom sauce and Mizithra cheese. Yum!
Alice
October 18, 2010 at 5:53 amI make something similar with butter and a spoonful of Marmite (widely available here in the UK or from british foodstores). They say with Marmite that you “either love it or hate it” but I’ve never known anybody not love it with pasta – most don’t realise that it is marmite being used. The salty flavour with the butter makes it taste almost cheesy, and (aside from spaghetti cooking time) it takes about 2 minutes to make a huge pan-full of it.
Jamie
February 9, 2010 at 3:20 pmMy grandmother used to make this, but she would also add ground cinnamon to it. I know it sounds strange, but I promise it’s super yummy!
chris
January 14, 2010 at 6:52 pmI just made this dish for me and my girlfriend and its great. It taste just like the spaghetti factory dish.
Deseree
January 15, 2010 at 7:23 amThanks Chris! I’m glad you and your girlfriend liked it :)
Teresa
December 30, 2009 at 9:19 amSo glad to see you do this dish. I’ve only attempted this once and it just wasn’t right. Can’t wait to try it your way although probably more Mizithra as I love that cheese. Mizithra just doesn’t taste as good in anything else and to me there is no substitue for it in this dish.
Chad
December 11, 2009 at 3:40 pmTakes me back to my childhood. I absolutely hated tomato sauce when I was a kid, so when my parents took me to Spaghetti Factory I would order this. Mizithra is sooo good. And you’re right, brown butter is wonderful! …Oh, and I love tomato sauce now that I’m all grown up.
C. Karnitz
December 11, 2009 at 2:07 pmI love browned butter! Make it all the time for a bit of pan fried ravioli. Thanks for the sharing!
chocolate shavings
December 11, 2009 at 1:00 pmLove brown butter!
Deseree
December 11, 2009 at 10:34 amThank you everyone for your nice comments! Mizithra is a greek cheese that I usually find in the imported cheese section at my supermarket. If you can’t find it, there really is no substitute that will give you the exact same flavor but a blend of freshly shredded Parmesan and Romano cheese would be just as delicious.
Neel- Thank you for asking before using it! We don’t mind if you use the photo as long as it links back to the recipe.
Susan Marie- Thank you for that suggestion. That sounds wonderful!
Susan Marie
December 11, 2009 at 8:49 amI love pasta done simply like this! I, too, have just recently discovered brown butter – something else you can do is fry up fresh sage leaves in the butter as it browns, then toss them with the pasta.
Neel | Learn Food Photography
December 11, 2009 at 7:53 amWhat a simple photograph. wonderfully done. I recently posted 8 inspirational pasta shots. Would you mind if I use your photograph in the article?
Here is the original post http://www.learnfoodphotography.com/2009/12/8-inspirational-pasta-shots/
katklaw777
December 11, 2009 at 2:23 amI have never heard of Mizithra cheese, is it a local specialty or a certain ethnic type?
I would love to know more about it and please what to substitute if I can not find it In farm country, Illinois. USA. Thanks!
J
December 10, 2009 at 2:12 pmTwas also going to comment that this looks exactly like the spaghetti factory one that I rarely will let myself be treated to… now it will be even harder to stay away from!!!
Jenn
December 10, 2009 at 12:15 pmThat looks soooo good!! Let’s say you can’t find Mizithra cheese, what would you recommend using?
Mrs. L
December 10, 2009 at 12:08 pmI’m with Lori as Spaghetti with Mizithra cheese is my favorite at Spaghetti Factory. Maybe my versions never came out because I didn’t brown the butter. I’ll have to give this a try.
Phoo-D
December 10, 2009 at 11:14 amThis is such a simple and delicious recipe. Gorgeous photo too! (By the way I think it is Smitten Kitchen who has a recipe for browned butter apricot bars…it has been on my must try list for a long time.)
Lori @ RecipeGirl
December 10, 2009 at 11:11 amI’m in love with this spaghetti. It’s my favorite thing at Spaghetti Factory. I tried making it once myself & it didn’t seem to taste the same. Yours looks YUM!