A copycat Spaghetti Factory recipe – Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter is an easy weeknight dinner recipe in about 10 minutes! Dry, mild Mizithra Cheese is always a crowd pleaser. It’s like grown up buttered noodles! 

spaghetti with mizithra cheese browned butter and mizithra cheese in a bowl
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We had a fun filled Memorial Day weekend, spending a day in Omaha, Nebraska, enjoying the zoo with the girls, lots of walks and time outdoors. After a busy weekend, sometimes I have to ease back into cooking, keeping it simple in both ingredients and the time involved preparing it.

One of my standbys is spaghetti with mizithra cheese and browned butter. It’s a more flavorful twist on the childhood favorite – parmesan and buttered noodles.

Looking for more inspiration for simple pasta dishes? Don’t skip my Garlic Parmesan Sauce.

Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter Ingredients

  • Spaghetti – You can substitute with your noodle of choice.
  • Mizithra Cheese – The star of the show. This amazing cheese is so full of flavor.
  • Butter – Brown butter adds rich, nutty flavor.
  • Parlsey – Fresh, to garnish.
spaghetti on a plate sprinkled with mizithra cheese

Mizithra cheese and brown butter elevates this simple dish. It’s hard to believe you can make something so good with just 3 ingredients!

With just one bite you’ll know why I have decided to make my favorite dish from the Spaghetti Factory at home! This copycat recipe is so easy and so good! According to their website it is an old Dussin family recipe (founder of the OSF).

What is Mizithra Cheese?

mizithra cheese in a bowl with a spoon

Mizithra cheese is a combination of unpastuerized sheep or goat’s milk cheese and whey imported from Greece. It is dry and mild, making it a crowd pleaser.

Hard or dried mizithra is also known as anthotyro xero. It’s easy to grate, much like parmesan or asiago with a cheese grater on fine. It has that same dry texture that pairs incredibly well with pasta, yet a completely unique (and amazing) flavor!

mizithra in a bowl with a spoon

Wildly enough it’s almost always pronounced wrong in the United States. It’s properly pronounced Meezeethra. Any which way you say it, you’ll say it’s delicious! I can’t get enough. 

Ways to Use Mizithra Cheese

  • Toss with pasta
  • Add to pasta salad
  • Garnish savory appetizers like tomatoes
  • Add to a cheese plate
  • Top salads
  • Add into pastries
  • Add to desserts or serve on a cheese platter for dessert!

It’s incredibly versatile.

grated mizithra cheese in a bowl

Can I make a confession? This dish is my lifelong favorite at the Spaghetti Factory. There, I’ve said it. I’m so obsessed that when we moved to KC 6 years ago (without one), I recreated it.

spaghetti with mizithra cheese garnished with parsley

Where to Find Mizithra Cheese

  • You can find mizithra cheese online
  • Gourmet grocers
  • Cheese stores
  • Markets like Dean & Deluca
  • The Spaghetti Factory sells freshly shredded to go.
  • You can also find this amazing Greek cheese at Greek grocery stores! If you’re lucky, you may even find it in your local grocery store.

How to Store Mizithra

  • Refrigerate – To keep Mizithra cheese fresh it should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator. It typically keeps 3 – 6 months.
  • Freeze – Mizithra freezes well because the moisture content is low. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag up to 1 year.
mizithra cheese in a bowl spaghetti in a pan and spaghetti with mizithra and browned butter on a plate

Mizithra Cheese is not only amazing, but it’s low calorie, too! It has just 40 calories in 2 tablespoons! This incredible dish comes in at just 310 calories per serving!

This pasta dish takes just about 10 minutes, making it an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love.

Brown your butter while boiling your noodles, toss and top with freshly shredded mizithra.

What is Browned Butter?

brown butter

It’s the magic that happens when you cook butter, evaporating the water and turning the milk solids brown. You can read more about brown butter here and watch a step-by-step video.

How To Make Spaghetti with Mizithra and Brown Butter

  1. Cook pasta al dente. I recommend spaghetti or angel hair.
  2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt butter.
    how to brown butter in a saute pan on stove top
  3. Then swirl (don’t stir) to cook evenly. As it begins to melt, it will start to foam. Watch carefully as the color turns brown and you start to smell a nutty aroma (about 3-5 minutes).
    brown butter in a pan
  4. Toss with spaghetti. 
  5. Top with mizithra cheese (and optional fresh chopped parsley to garnish).
    spaghetti factory spaghetti with mizithra cheese and browned butter on a plate garnished with parsley
spaghetti with mizithra cheese on a plate and mizithra in a bowl

I hope you enjoy this easy weeknight dinner recipe for Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter as much as I do. Please leave a 5 star rating in the comments below! It’s fun to eat like a kid again!

a bowl of mizithra and pan of spaghetti sitting on a countertop

mizithra cheese and parsley on bed of spaghetti
5 from 45 votes

Spaghetti with Mizithra and Browned Butter

Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter is an easy weeknight dinner recipe, inspired by The Old Spaghetti Factory recipe!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients  

  • 16 ounces spaghetti 1 box
  • ½ cup butter unsalted
  • ¼ pound mizithra cheese grated
  • parsley garnish

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare noodles al dente.
  • Meanwhile, heat skillet to medium, add butter in chunks.
  • Whisking, monitor the butter until it turns brown and has a nutty aroma, careful not to burn it.
  • Remove the foam and toss with strained spaghetti.
  • Top with freshly shredded mizithra cheese and garnish with parsley.

Julie’s Tips

Substitutions

  • Spaghetti – You can substitute with your noodle of choice.
  • Mizithra Cheese – It is the star of the show, but you can substitute with parmesan, asiago or pecorino romano in a pinch.
  • Butter – Salted or unsalted.
  • Parlsey – Eliminate rather than substitute.

Where to Find Mizithra

  • online 
  • gourmet grocers
  • cheese stores
  • markets like Dean & Deluca
  • The Spaghetti Factory sells freshly shredded to go

How to Store Mizithra

  • Refrigerate – To keep Mizithra cheese fresh it should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator. It typically keeps 3 – 6 months.
  • Freeze – Mizithra freezes well because the moisture content is low. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag up to 1 year.

Tips

You can learn more about brown butter here and learn how in the video in this recipe card.
Make it gluten free by using gluten-free noodles!

Video

Serving: 1g | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 104mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

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46 Comments

  1. Good Morning Julie 🙂 I too fell in love with the Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese at the Spaghetti Factory some 30 years ago in KC! At that time it was located down town in an old refurbished building…the restaurant itself was a sight to behold (I was 20-something then and totally in awe of the decor and heavenly aroma as I stood in the foyer and felt like I was in an Italian court yard! I longed to visit Italy ever since!) Thank you for the recipe and the recall of a memory I hadn’t thought about in years! I am definitely going to make your recipe and enjoy the memory thoroughly!

    1. I heard there was once a location in KC – sad that it’s no longer there! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for sharing, Shari!

  2. I LOVE, LOVE LOVE this dish at The Spaghetti Factory. I seldom eat there but when I do it is the only thing I order. I also make it at home, it’s delish!