Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut the top and bottom off the butternut squash with a large chef’s knife. Stand the squash upright on the bottom – you just cut a nice flat surface, which will make a solid base to slice the squash in half. Use the chef’s knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise, pushing down from the top of the knife, keeping your fingers clear of the blade!

Scoop out the seeds and either throw them out or set them aside to clean and roast.

Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and place the squash cut side up on the baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Flip them over, cut side down. Poke some holes using a fork or the tip of your knife (carefully!) up and down the length of the squash.

Place it in the oven and bake until they are soft when pressed with your finger or provide no resistance with a paring knife. The roasting time will vary greatly by the size of your squash! Expect anywhere from 25 – 40 minutes.

Scoop all the soft, roasted butternut squash flesh from the skins and set aside or cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut the top and bottom off the kabocha squash with a large chef’s knife. Stand the squash upright on the bottom – you just cut a nice flat surface, which will make a solid base to slice the squash in half. Use the chef’s knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise, pushing down from the top of the knife, keeping your fingers clear of the blade! Kabocha have thick rinds, so this might take some force; you can also pick the whole thing up and bang it down on the cutting board while keeping your fingers clear of the knife blade!

Scoop out the seeds and either throw them out or set them aside to clean and roast.

Working one half of the squash at a time, cut strips about 2 inches wide. Then cut each of those strips into 2 inch pieces. This is approximate. It really doesn’t matter, you just want them to be of a similar size. Repeat with the other half, if you have one!

Place all the pieces skin side down (cut side face up!) on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. They can all be crammed together; don’t worry about it. Sprinkle with a little kosher salt and cover with another piece of parchment paper and then a large piece of aluminum foil. Seal the edges down around the squash by curling the foil around the rim of the baking pan.

Bake in a preheated oven until the squash is soft and can be pierced easily with a cake tester or pairing knife. This typically takes me around 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove parchment and foil from the top.

In a medium sauce pot add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion and herbs. Turn the heat to medium-low and sweat the herbs and onion until almost translucent.

Add the minced garlic to the pot. If the onions stick even on low heat, add a little more olive oil. Continue to sweat until the onions are transparent.

Add the squash & half of the stock. Simmer over medium-low to allow the squash to break down into the stock.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup while still in the pot, adding a little stock at a time until the resulting soup is smooth, pourable but viscous, or where you want it!

Taste the soup for seasoning and add fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste.

In a medium bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds with olive oil, salt and spices. Spread onto a baking pan lined with a piece of parchment paper.

Stir or toss the seeds frequently either while roasting in the oven or pan. Once they look matte (no longer shiny) and have started to turn a golden brown, remove them to cool on the baking sheet.

Serve in bowls with pepitas and/or croutons sprinkled on top.