pasta with sweet potato cream sauce and roasted kale

I'm working on eating more meatless meals so don't be surprised if the measly vegetarian section of my recipes tab gets overloaded with new meals! I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought it sounded good but I made a few changes that worked better for me. This was really a pretty easy meal to make and not a lot of clean-up.

2 large sweet potatoes (but, really, they're yams), peeled and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 red onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-fat or skim milk*
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + 3 tablespoons
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti noodles
1 head of kale, cleaned and chopped (I like to buy the organic Tuscan kale from Trader Joe's)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread diced sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix together with clean hands to make sure they're all evenly coated. Roast in oven for 15 minutes until completely tender.

Meanwhile, mix together kale, sesame oil, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Massage together with hands for a minute or two. Spread onto a baking sheet. When potatoes have finished roasting, reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and bake in oven for 18 minutes (stirring a couple of times) until crispy. Set aside for serving.

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta as directed on the packing.

Move cooked potatoes to a food processor (or blender) and puree. Pour milk in a little at a time while pureeing until a smooth texture. Set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Stir in chopped onion and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes until softened. Add flour and stir to make a roux, whisking constantly. Add sweet potato/milk mixture, whisking to combine. Let mixture thicken and get warm through. Add more milk as necessary and stir in remaining cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Add spaghetti to sauce and serve with roasted kale on top (or stirred in - I just put a little on top so it would keep it's crunch).

adapted from How Sweet Eats