Browned Butter Mizithra Pasta

BROWNED BUTTER MIZITHRA PASTA😍

Rainy days were meant for pasta nights, and this one is only 5 ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to prepare! Inspired by an all time favorite at Old Spaghetti Factory, which if you’ve ever been, you know their manager’s special with mizithra pasta SLAPS. It was even the cause of my biggest fight with my sister growing up - I mean who eats someone else’s leftovers? SO rude. Anyways, as soon as I saw Mizithra cheese at Vons, I KNEW I had to make this. Safe to say my relationship with my sister is better for it too ;) 

For a true banger, serve half of this mizithra pasta with half a serving of my Bolognese recipe for a homemade twist on the manager’s special. The combo of the two spaghettis is truly something special😍 You’re gonna love this!

Mizithra is a traditional Greek whey cheese. It is found in most grocery stores in the US as a salt-dried grating cheese and has quite a unique flavor so I don’t recommend swapping it out for any other cheese.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

For the Browned Butter Mizithra Pasta:

• 8oz spaghetti

• 1 stick salted butter

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• ¼ cup mizithra cheese

• ¼ cup freshly grated romano or parmesan

• Fresh cracked pepper to taste

• Salt to taste

• Fresh parsley or basil for serving (optional)

Directions:

For the Browned Butter Mizithra Pasta:

• Get a pot of salted water to boil and season with salt. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions.

• Add the butter to a skillet and cook on medium heat. Once it starts foaming, add in the garlic, pepper, and stir. The process for browning the butter will take anywhere from 7-9 minutes. The butter will first foam, then start smelling nutty and start to brown. Shut off the heat once it’s golden brown.

• Once pasta is cooked, reserve about ½ cup pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet with the browned butter off heat. Add in the mizithra and parmesan and toss well, adding a bit of pasta water at a time to get a nice homogenous sauce.

• Serve and top with fresh herbs. Enjoy!