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Mama’s Greek Cheesy Spaghetti

ByElena Paravantes, MS, RD

spaghetti greek

Spaghetti, also known as makaronia in Greek is a bit different in Greece than it is from our neighbor Italy. Here, traditionally pasta is not cooked al dente, but rather cooked longer along with beef, chicken or even seafood.

A popular way it is cooked at home is with olive oil (or butter) and cheese.

By looking at the picture you may not see more than some pasta sprinkled with cheese, but there is a little secret here that makes this pasta addictive.

I rarely make it this way at home because it is so addictive that you can eat a whole bowl, but I did make it a few days ago while on vacation. My father was visiting and so I decided to make a quick meal of some pasta with a salad to eat when we came back from the beach. However, I was a bit worried that he would find my pasta very plain compared to the way my mom makes it, as I usually just boil it, add a touch of olive oil and the sauce. I was sure he would call it nerovrasta, which is an expression of describing food that is just boiled in water, which Greeks rarely do.

So I decided to make it more rich, the way my mother makes it. This recipe calls for layering the pasta in a large bowl or pan after boiling it with grated cheese, (mitzithra) and then gently heating some olive oil with some more cheese and pouring it over the pasta.

Yes this is not very light, but is not extremely heavy either as there is no meat in it and not that much cheese either. I also have lightened considerably as traditionally this pasta was made with butter by families who could afford it. Also we usually accompany it with a tomato and cucumber salad.

Mama’s Greek Cheesy Pasta

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • ½ cup grated cheese
  • 1/3 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Boil the pasta about 12 to 13 minutes

2. Once the pasta is boiled, drain well.

3. In a large pan or casserole dish sprinkle the grated cheese and place a layer of boiled pasta over it, sprinkle the pasta with cheese again and continue until you have filled the pan and finish with another sprinkle of cheese. Set aside.

4. In a small pan, heat the olive oil with a sprinkle of cheese at low heat for a few minutes. Pour the olive oil -cheese mixture over the pasta.

Elena Paravantes, MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by the U.S. Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). She is an expert on the Mediterranean Diet. She has been active as a clinician, consultant, author and lecturer for 20 years, both in the U.S. and Greece. An expert on the Greek Mediterranean Diet, her interviews and articles have been published in many publications including CNN, U.S. News and World Report, Prevention, NPR, and Shape. Elena has collaborated with a number of organizations including Loyola University, Yale University, University of Missouri, Louisiana State University, and the American College of Greece. Elena earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and her Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds has a Master’s Degree of Science in Health Management.

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13 Comments

  1. I love that you include recipes like this that are so “homestyle”. They are important in understanding Greek cooking, yet you don’t often see recipes like that included in cookbooks.
    Thank you!

    Reply

  2. There is a restaurant chain here in the U.S. that serves this made with browned butter instead of olive oil and yes, it is quite delicious! We went there last night for a birthday celebration and I had this as a side with chicken. It had been years since I had eaten it as I try to not eat much pasta. They also serve broccoli with mitzithra as a side dish. This is a wonderful recipe for a special occasion, your taste buds will thank you.

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  4. I could not find Mizithra at my local grocery store that has many specialty cheeses. I looked through their custom order book and it had it. It also mentioned similar cheeses and Romano was listed. I decided to go with that. Can’t imagine it will be bad!

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  5. Actually, I think there are very similar recipes in Southern Italy, and there is a dried Ricotta Salata that is very similar to its Greek cousin Mizithra; in many home recipes I use them interchangeably, whichever is cheaper. Neither of these are as fatty as recipes from the Americas where the pasta just swims in cheese.

    If you are home alone, simply make a modest portion. You are unlikely to make another.

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