Old Spaghetti Factory Browned Butter and Mizithra Cheese

September 14, 2023 by Stephanie Manley 56 Comments

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The Old Spaghetti Factory’s Spaghetti with Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter has the benefit of tasting completely decadent and being so easy to prepare. You can recreate this classic dish at home.

Overhead view of copycat Old Spaghetti Factory spaghetti with mizithra cheese and browned butter.

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Table of Contents

What makes the Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter so good?

Brown Butter Spaghetti is a traditional Italian recipe, but The Old Spaghetti Factory makes it its own with the addition of Mizithra cheese. This minor tweak makes a major difference in the dish’s taste without adding extra work.

If you love the nuttiness of browned butter, you are definitely 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

Few entrees can match the simplicity of ingredients with the intensity of flavor quite like The Old Spaghetti Factory’s Spaghetti Mizithra. But if you have tried making this dish using other copycat recipes online, you probably were more than a little disappointed.

After checking out a few of these online recipes, the reason is clear. Most recipes to recreate this Spaghetti Mizithra at home leave out the Romano cheese! Without the sharpness of Romano cheese, the dish tastes too earthy and dull. But all it takes is equal portions of Romano and Mizithra cheese to bring the pasta to life.

What is Mizithra Cheese?

There’s no shame in not knowing about Mizithra cheese; it’s pretty uncommon in the US. Mizithra is a unique Greek cheese incorporating 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 this pasta dish, you’ll need:

Pasta
Unsalted butter
Mizithra cheese
Romano cheese
Fresh Parsley

Old Spaghetti Factory spaghetti with mizithra cheese and browned butter ingredients.

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. Or you can 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 and cook the pasta to al dente according to the instructions on the package. While the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the rest of the dish.
Grate the Mizithra and Romano cheeses. Set aside.
Rinse, dry, and chop the leaves of the parsley. 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.

Collage of cooked spaghetti and making browned butter.

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the hot browned butter and pasta.
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.

Collage of making spaghetti with mizithra cheese and browned butter sauce.

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 to stir 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 the butter.
Pour the browned butter into a bowl. Don’t leave behind the brown bits since they have the most intense flavor.

Copycat Old Spaghetti Factory spaghetti with mizithra cheese and browned butter on a plate.

What to Serve With This Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese Recipe

At the restaurant, you can get bread or salad, 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.

Copycat Old Spaghetti Factory spaghetti with mizithra cheese and browned butter sauce.

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