Preheat your oven to 425°F/220°C.

Prepare the butternut squash by slicing off the top and a little of the bottom. Stand it up and cut straight down the middle, splitting the squash into 2 equal halves. In the wider section at the bottom, you’ll see a lot of seeds and fibers. Use a serving spoon, regular spoon, or even ice cream scoop to remove all of that. Set that aside if you wish to reserve the seeds as a topping, or toss.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the two halves of squash on the sheet. Drizzle with some olive oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Place the two halves cut side down and place into oven. Roast the squash for 30-40 minutes. Begin checking around 30 minutes by gently probing with a sharp knife. If the knife easily slides through the skin, it’s ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

While the butternut squash is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Because the soup will be blended later, you only need to make a rough, large dice on the onion, carrots, and celery. Peel, cut, and chop the apple into a large dice as well, and roughly chop the garlic and set everything aside. Using some kitchen twine, tie together the herbs and set aside as well.

Once the squash has been removed from the oven, begin cooking the vegetables. Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add your oil. Once heated, add the onion, and cook until it starts to become translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Now add the carrots, celery, and apple, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking and stirring about 5-6 minutes longer.

While everything else is cooking, scoop the flesh out of the butternut squash and set aside. If the squash is still hot to the touch, use a paper towel to hold it while scooping. Add the squash, garlic, and ginger and red pepper (if using) to the pot and mix to combine. Cook about another minute and then add your chicken or vegetable broth, stir to combine, and place your fresh herbs into the mixture. Bring everything to a boil, then cover and lower temperature to a simmer and let it cook for 30 minutes. The time you cook it is up to you. If you’re in a hurry you could give it 5-10 minutes, or an entire hour or two if you’re not. The longer it cooks, the deeper the flavor.

After it has cooked in the pot, remove the lid, and turn off the heat. Remove the bundle of herbs and trash them. If some of their leaves fall off, that’s fine, just adds more flavor to the final soup. Allow it to cool about 5 minutes and begin transferring the mixture to a blender in batches. Be very careful when blending a hot soup and don’t fill the blender too much beyond halfway. Loosen or remove the plastic feeder cap from the lid and cover with a kitchen towel. Start slowly on a mix or chop setting, then increase to a puree, blending until the mixture looks like it has all been combined and is smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Alternatively, use an immersion blender and blend everything directly in the pot until smooth.

After the soup is fully blended, place back into the pot over low heat and add your cream, stirring until fully combined. Use a ladle or large spoon to check the consistency. If the soup is thicker than you like, add some more broth or water until it’s at your preferred consistency. The soup should be thick, but still pourable from a ladle or spoon without looking thin and watery. Now taste and adjust for salt and pepper and sweetness. Depending on the broth or stock that you use, you made need to add more salt or none at all. If you want a little more sweetness, add some honey or maple syrup.

Serve in soup bowls and top with your choice of toppings or none.