diff --git a/packages/nitro/src/server/middleware.ts b/packages/nitro/src/server/middleware.ts
index 6f4e3a8a79..e90ff78083 100644
--- a/packages/nitro/src/server/middleware.ts
+++ b/packages/nitro/src/server/middleware.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { resolve, join, extname } from 'pathe'
 import { joinURL } from 'ufo'
 import { globby } from 'globby'
 import { watch } from 'chokidar'
-import { tryResolvePath } from '@nuxt/kit'
+import { tryResolveModule, tryResolvePath } from '@nuxt/kit'
 import type { Nuxt } from '@nuxt/schema'
 import type { Middleware } from 'h3'
 
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ export function resolveMiddleware (nuxt: Nuxt) {
   const legacyMiddleware: ServerMiddleware[] = []
 
   for (let m of nuxt.options.serverMiddleware) {
-    if (typeof m === 'string') { m = { handler: m } }
+    if (typeof m === 'string' || typeof m === 'function' /* legacy middleware */) { m = { handler: m } }
     const route = m.path || m.route || '/'
     const handle = m.handler || m.handle
     if (typeof handle !== 'string' || typeof route !== 'string') {
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ export function resolveMiddleware (nuxt: Nuxt) {
           extensions: ['.ts', '.mjs', '.js', '.cjs'],
           alias: nuxt.options.alias,
           base: nuxt.options.srcDir
-        }),
+        }) || tryResolveModule(handle, { paths: nuxt.options.modulesDir }),
         route
       })
     }