Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon
Peel the apples and onions and cut them into eighths. I love this soft skin peeler from Zyliss - it's a $10 KilKenney Kitchen workhorse
Place the squash flesh down on the baking sheet along with the apple and onion pieces. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. If you are using the cubed squash (like the kind you can find at Trader Joes), combine the squash cubes with the apples & onions and a little water on a sheet pan
Roast the squash, apples and onions until the all the vegetables are browned and really tender when tested with a fork - about 50 minutes (about 40 minutes if you are using the squash cubes)
Let the squash cool until you can handle it. It should look soft and mushy in the skin
While the squash is cooling, get the ginger ready. You will find fresh whole ginger in the produce section of most grocery stores. If you can't find it, substitute a 1/2 tsp of ground ginger powder
Peel the ginger - here's a KilKenney Kitchen tip - Use the edge of a teaspoon to peel the skin off the ginger - it's fast and easy. Store the whole piece of ginger in a plastic bag in the freezer and you'll always have ginger ready to go
Use a microplane (another inexpensive KilKenney Kitchen workhorse) to grate the fresh or frozen ginger- it's a breeze to grate and smells fabulous! If you don't have a microplane, just chop the ginger very fine with a sharp knife
Once the squash has cooled, scrape the flesh out with a spoon and put it in a blender
Add the roasted apples and onions, grated ginger, (or ginger powder) salt and maple syrup (or honey or sugar) to the blender
Add 3 cups of the stock to the blender and blend on high until pureed. Add the remaining stock a little at a time until you get a smooth soup-like consistency
Add the half & half to the blender and blend to combine. (omit the half & half if you prefer a dairy free soup)
Pour the soup into a large stock pot and warm over medium heat until hot. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as needed. (Isn't this soup a gorgeous color?)
Serve the soup plain or with a dollop of plain yogurt and enjoy!