There’s something magical about the combination of nutty browned butter and sharp, aged cheese. The Old Spaghetti Factory’s signature Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter pasta perfectly exemplifies how a few simple, high-quality ingredients can create an unforgettable dish. This copycat recipe captures the restaurant’s unique twist on the traditional Italian brown butter pasta by combining the distinctive flavors of Mizithra and Romano cheeses.
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What makes the Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter so good?
Brown Butter Spaghetti is a traditional Italian recipe for brown butter pasta, but The Old Spaghetti Factory makes it its own with Mizithra cheese. This minor tweak makes a significant difference in the dish’s taste without adding extra work.
If you love the nuttiness of browned butter, you are going to want to try this new take on tradition. And if you are new to brown butter sauce, this recipe will open up a lot of new pasta-bilities.
Why You Should Try This Recipe for Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter
The secret to this dish’s success lies in two key elements: properly browned butter, which provides a deep, nutty flavor, and the combination of Mizithra and Romano cheeses. While many copycat recipes omit the Romano, it’s essential for achieving the perfect balance of sharp and nutty flavors that makes the restaurant version so memorable.
What is Mizithra Cheese?
There’s no shame in not knowing about Mizithra cheese; it’s uncommon in the US. Mizithra is a unique Greek cheese that incorporates the whey left behind from making sheep—or goat-milk cheese. So, what does Mizithra cheese taste like? Younger Mizithra cheese has a soft and creamy consistency similar to ricotta, but once aged, it becomes harder with a pronounced nutty flavor. Go with the aged version for this recipe.
If you are wondering where to buy Mizithra cheese, the truth is that it can be challenging to find. And if you do find it, it isn’t cheap. So, if you don’t want to spend the effort or money to get Mizithra, you can always substitute Parmesan cheese. The flavor won’t be precisely the same as what you get in the restaurant, but it will still be delicious.
The Old Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese Pasta Ingredients
For the Pasta
- Spaghetti – Forms the base of the dish; it can be substituted with your preferred pasta shape
- Unsalted butter – Creates the rich, nutty brown butter sauce
- Mizithra cheese, freshly grated – Provides unique nutty, salty flavor
- Romano cheese, freshly grated – Adds sharp, tangy notes that balance the Mizithra
- Fresh parsley, chopped – Adds fresh color and subtle herb flavor
- Salt for pasta water – Seasons the pasta from within
Ingredient Notes
The Old Spaghetti Factory uses spaghetti noodles in this dish, but you can use your favorite pasta type.
Why not make things easier by buying The Old Spaghetti Factory Grated Mizithra & Romano Cheese Blend from the store? It can be found at some grocery stores. You can also use grated Parmesan as a Mizithra cheese substitute.
How to Make Old Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese Pasta
To prepare this dish:
- Bring a stockpot of well-salted water to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the dish.
- Grate the Mizithra and Romano cheeses. Set aside.
- Rinse, dry, and chop the leaves of the parsley. Please keep it for later.
- Brown the butter in a small saucepan. If you don’t know how to brown butter, check out the “A Bit About Browning Butter” section below.
- Toss the hot browned butter and pasta in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the grated Mizithra and Romano cheeses while tossing the pasta to coat the pasta evenly.
- Plate the sauced pasta and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with extra grated cheese on the side.
A Bit About Browning Butter
Browning butter doesn’t mean burning it. But don’t worry if you are not a master chef; as long as you pay attention, it’s not complicated:
- Heat a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Using a light-colored saucepan makes it much easier to tell the color of the butter.
- Cut the butter into even-sized pieces. Using pieces of butter that are all the same size ensures even melting and prevents burning.
- Gently swirl the saucepan and stir with a silicone spatula.
- While swirling the saucepan, let the butter come to a slow simmer. Adjust the heat as needed.
- Once the butter stops foaming and the butter turns a light tan, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Continue stirring the butter in the saucepan off the heat. It will continue to darken and develop a nutty smell, but you are less likely to burn it.
- Pour the browned butter into a bowl. Don’t leave behind the brown bits since they have the most intense flavor.
What to Serve With This Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese Recipe
You can get bread or salad at the restaurant, but at home, you have many more choices. Here are just a few:
- Sauteed broccoli rabe. The bitterness of the broccoli robe pairs incredibly well with this pasta dish’s nutty, earthy flavor.
- Garlic bread. Everyone loves this classic side, and it’s so easy to make.
- Chicken breast. A simply seasoned grilled chicken breast is perfect paired with this pasta.
How to Store the Leftovers
It is best to cook only as much as you’re ready to enjoy immediately since this dish doesn’t keep very well. But the good news is that it only takes a few minutes to make the sauce, and you can store cooked and cooled pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days.
Looking for more pasta dishes? Try these recipes
- Garlic Butter Spaghetti Recipe
- Best Pasta Vodka Sauce
- Manicotti with Meat Sauce
- Chicken Scampi
- Pizza Hut Pasta
- Capellini Pomodoro
- Italian Sausage Instant Pot
- Olive Garden Alfredo
- Olive Garden Lasagna Recipe
- More Olive Garden Recipes
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Be sure to check out more of my top rated pasta recipes and copycat Italian restaurant food.
Old Spaghetti Factory Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta
- 1 cup butter salted or unsalted
- 1/2 cup grated mizithra cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain, but do not rinse.
- While the pasta is cooking, brown the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. Remove the foam with a spoon. Continue cooking the butter until it browns.
- Place the pasta, browned butter, mizithra, and Romano cheese into a bowl and toss until the pasta is well coated. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. This dish does not reheat well.
Video
Notes
Pro Recipe Tips
Troubleshooting Brown Butter
- If butter is taking too long to brown: Increase heat slightly
- If butter browns too quickly: Remove from heat immediately
- If butter burns: Start over – burned butter cannot be saved
- Signs of properly browned butter:
- Golden brown color
- Nutty aroma
- Brown bits at bottom
- No black specs
Cheese Substitutions
- Can’t find Mizithra? Use Parmesan cheese instead
- For extra convenience: Look for The Old Spaghetti Factory’s pre-grated Mizithra & Romano cheese blend in stores
- For sharper flavor: Increase ratio of Romano
- For nuttier flavor: Increase ratio of Mizithra
This recipe doesn’t mention whether to use salted or unsalted butter. Which is it, or does it matter?
I have used salted butter. I will specify that.
Delicious and tastes almost the same. When I make it next time, I’ll cut down on the butter by 1/4 cup. Yummy!
This was my all time favorite dish every time we went to the restaurant in downtown San Diego. I never ordered anything else! Now I live in western New York, and was browsing in a gourmet shop and saw myzithra cheese! Since I really love the mizithra pasta as much as I do, I thought I’d give it a try. I have a question for your visitors. Has anyone tried sauted garlic along with the butter? I am also going to make it with crispy fried bacon pieces. Garlic and bacon always seem to work for me in many of the pasta dishes I cook and I haven’t had any complaints!
Did you try it with garlic?
You can’t mess this dish up! This was also my favorite thing on the menu in San Diego 40 years ago! I was in The Fresh Market in Jupiter,Florida and saw Mizithra cheese for the first time in all those years and decided to buy it and see if I could find the recipe. Brought back memories!
Personally, I’m not a fan of garlic, but would never dream of complaining about bacon in any way, shape, or form! 😁
This IS the best recipe for a delicious dish, The recipe doesn’t mention when to add the parsley. I know it is a condiment at the end of the dish before serving, others might not know when to add the parsley so maybe you could add that to the directions.
I find this as I sit here eating what I prepared last night–it doesn’t warm up well?!?
I just took my leftover and threw it in a couple of tablespoons of brown butter in a saucepan and stirred it up. Just as good as last night!!!
How long does it take o brown butter? I don’t want to burn it.
It takes a few minutes.
I love this recipe so much. I am 12 years old and I’ve been trying to find a good recipe for my mom to save money. This is perfect!!! My mom loves it as well. It’s easy enough to make and find, browning the butter is even a simple process too!
This is a new favorite!
Is there something else I can use instead of the Mizithra cheese? I can’t find any in the stores.
It can be hard to find, Parmesan or Romano would also work just fine.
Reccota Salata is the same cheese in Italian. Most Italian Delis should have.
I found it at Whole Foods
Kroger stores in TN just started carrying it.
I have used one cup of Kasiri cheese combined with half a cup of Romano cheese.
I have found a pecorino romano cheese at Costco that seems to have the same salty robust flavor–recommended by Alton Brown. Compared it to the mizithra blend I picked up at sprouts and it is amazingly similar.
Thanks for that, it’s so much easier to find!
I actually found it at Vons where all of the specialty cheeses are near the deli.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe?
I used salted, but if you are salt sensitive, I would try unsalted.
These guys introduced me to Mazithra back in the day. I love it on pasta and stuffing mushrooms.
Which kind of Mizithra do you use? The fresh cheese or the salted and aged version?
I believe I was using the salted and aged version, I have never seen this fresh.
I bet this would be good on veg-etti.(for low carb)
Do you have a recipe for Chick-fil-A chicken?
Not yet!
So happy to see this recipe, simple though it is! This was one of my favorite dishes when the gang used to congregate at the Factory in college. We’d order several different “sauces” and eat buffet-style, but there was always at least one plate of this dish on the table. Thanks!
It is definitely what is on the broccoli and is so yummy!
It is exactly what is on the broccoli and it is so yummy!
When I was doing some work there the manager told me it was goat cheese as the second cheese. He wrote it down for me and I lost it darn it. I think it was equal parts of each cheese.
Ron / Sacramento Ca
I found some of the Spaghetti Factory blend of mizythra cheese in the store recently. In fact, I’m making some of this right now. The blend is mizythra cheese and Romano Cheese. I k ow at the restaurant, they also use fresh parmasean.
Goat cheese would be caprano romano cheese, if I recall correctly.
Thanks for that heads up!
I was thinking this is what is on the broccoli at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Is it not?
Thank you so much for this!! I live in Texas and The Spaghetti Warehouse doesn’t have this. I used to live in Cali and would get it every time I went there! Thanks again!!