Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place the chopped squash, carrots, onion, whole garlic cloves, and thyme sprigs in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with oil, add the pinch of cayenne, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Roast veggies for 60-75 minutes, or until veggies are tender when pierced with a fork, and some are starting to brown. Remove thyme stems from the veggies, and discard the stems.

As the veggies roast, begin preparing the reserved butternut squash seeds for roasting. Remove all pulp from the seeds, rise and pat them dry. Spread the seeds on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and sprinkle some salt over the top. Roast seeds in 350° F oven for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally (timing will depend on how many seeds you have on the tray), until they are crunchy and golden brown.

Place half of the veggies in a blender, along with ½ cup broth. Puree until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large stockpot. Puree the second half of the veggies along with more broth, and place puree in the pot. If the veggies stick to the blender jar, add more broth and puree to loosen the stuck on puree, add remaining broth and veggie puree to the large pot. Heat on medium until hot and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper, adding more to taste.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, garnish with crunchy roasted butternut squash seeds and additional fresh thyme.