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The name might be long and boring but the recipe isn’t! It’s a quick and easy Old Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter Spaghetti Copycat!
Years and years ago, when our first daughter was only a baby we went out to dinner with a family member who told us that we just had to try the Old Spaghetti Factory specifically for their mizithra cheese and browned butter spaghetti. I read the menu and saw that there was literally no other ingredients and it was whole wheat pasta which can sometimes be bland, so I was not feeling excited at all.
Let’s remember, I was a picky child and only just starting to try things as an adult so butter and some weird cheese on a hearty pasta didn’t sound good to me.
Like always when Cade and I are hesitant about things, except sushi which is another story for another day (Cade loves, I detest it) we were proved wrong. That browned butter is so flavorful and the whole wheat pasta actually added more flavor, but the real winner was the dry, crumbly Mizithra cheese. It’s a very, very mild flavor so even your pickiest of eaters will try it.
Our kids love it and best of all, it’s done in 15 minutes, so it’s a quick and easy dinner idea!
Browning butter is really easy, just make sure you use a skillet over medium heat, cook until foaming and golden in color and then quickly pour the butter into a bowl so it doesn’t continue to cook and burn. Trust me, it only takes a minute to burn.
That’s it. We cook our pasta at the same time as the butter because even if the butter finishes before the pasta it will get reheated in the skillet so it wont matter. Toss the pasta, butter and crumbled cheese in the hot skillet and serve immediately with a pinch of parsley on top for color. Or skip it because the kids will probably pick it off anyway. 😉
Old Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter Spaghetti Copycat
Old Spaghetti Factory Mizithra Cheese and Browned Butter Spaghetti Copycat
Ingredients
- Salt for water
- 8 Ounces Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 1/3 Cup Mizithra Cheese *see note, crumbled
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water with a few pinches of salt (the water should taste like salt water) to a boil over medium high heat.Salt for water
- Add the pasta and cook until al dente.8 Ounces Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and cook until golden and foamy, about 10 minutes.1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
- Immediately pour it into a clean bowl.
- Once the pasta is done, drain and place in the hot skillet along with the butter and cheese, tossing to coat.1/3 Cup Mizithra Cheese *see note
- Serve immediately with parsley for garnish.Parsley
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
20 Minute Cherry Tomato and Basil Angel Hair Pasta
It only takes 20 minutes to make a super fresh and easy dinner !
I have made this for years. Its a favorite of my granddaughter.
Love to hear that! Thanks Kathleen!
The recipe from the Old Spaghetti Factory for their Mizithra Cheese Spaghetti was published in the Rocky Mountain News in Denver back in the 80’s and we were surprised to learn that they used cassari and romano cheese in browned butter to create the dish.
I love Migithra Cheese 🙏