Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter is a Spaghetti Factory copycat recipe! This pasta takes just 4 ingredients and about 10 minutes total, making it an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
One of my standby dinners (that is always a hit) is spaghetti with mizithra cheese and browned butter. It’s a more flavorful twist on the childhood favorite – parmesan and buttered noodles.
Mizithra cheese and brown butter elevate this simple dish. It’s hard to believe you can make something so good with just a few ingredients! Dry, mild Mizithra Cheese is always a crowd pleaser. It’s like grown up buttered noodles! With just one bite you’ll know why I wanted to make this 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).
Can I make a confession? This dish is my lifelong favorite at the Spaghetti Factory. I’m so obsessed that when we moved to KC many years ago (without one), I recreated it.
What is Mizithra Cheese?
Mizithra is a combination of un-pastuerized sheep (or goat’s milk cheese) and whey, imported from Greece. It is dry and mild – perfect for pasta.
Hard or dried mizithra is also known as anthotyro xero. It’s easy to grate, much like parmesan or asiago. Interestingly, 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!
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.
- Parsley – Fresh, to garnish.
Tips
Swirl (don’t stir) the butter 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).
Spaghetti with Mizithra and Browned Butter
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.16 ounces spaghetti
- Meanwhile, heat skillet to medium, add butter in chunks.½ cup butter
- 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.¼ pound mizithra cheese, 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 mizithra to go
Video
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Omg this took me back to my childhood. My parents always orderd this and OSF and would make it ate home. I moved to Canada almost 20 years ago and have never seen mizithra in stores. I finally came across some In European delecetessian and had to buy it, along with my ski queen gjetost.
Made this recipe tonight and I was transported. So good and the easier thing ever. My daughter opted for mozzarella and loved hers too. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Recipes can bring back the best of memories.
Only thing I order from the OSF, was happy to find the cheese at a Greek Specialty store. I love it the way it is but I add garlic as thats how my husband likes it.
Hi Leanne!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and that you took the time to review it.
Have a wonderful week,
Julie
Sorry, forgot to rate it
I have been making the exact recipe for years and years. My mother in law is greek and when I married her son she made it for dinner together with Kapama, which is a braised chicken dish with cinnamon and cloves. It was the best tasting dish and I make it at least twice a month for Sunday dinner after church for the past 40 years. This is a great recipe.
Yum!
It was fantastic, make it whenever one can find the cheese. Winnipeg was out of it for 2 yrs