Oma's Baked Ziti

This recipe is for my grandson, Luc, he's at the age where he can start cooking a little, and we can enjoy what he prepares without a mix or box. When he was little, he loved the secret pops of cheese in this little casserole, and I made it often, but not often enough for him! So this one is for you sweetheart:

Baked Ziti

Oma's Basic Tomatoe Sauce
3 tablespoons of good olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz can ground Tomatoes good Italian type
14 oz can of San Marzano Tomatoes, chopped up
1/2 (14 oz) can of water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme crushed between your fingers to release the flavour
      Or
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme left whole but washed and dried
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
A pinch of crushed chilies or more to taste
If you have a rind of Romano or Parmesan cheese, add it, but remove it before completing the recipe
Béchamel Sauce
2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup half and half or
1 can of evaporated milk 1 1/2 cups of cheese, mozzarella and white cheddar, marble or your choice
1/2 500 gram package of short penne or penne ziti Salted water
i>Topping
1 cup of cheese cut into half inch chunks 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs mixed with 1/2 cup of Romano powdered cheese 6 teaspoons of cold butter cut into tiny pieces

Prepare all veggies for the sauce, line the ingredients up for each step, as follows:'
Put a large pan of salted water to boil for the pasta, meanwhile, in another large pot heat the olive oil slowly on medium heat so it doesn't get too hot, add the onions, stir them around until they get soft, then add the garlic, when you can smell the garlic cooking, add the ground tomatoes, the San Marzano tomatoes, add a little water to the 14 oz can to rinse the Tomatoe residue then add the same water to the larger can to rinse that residue then add the "residue"water to the sauce. Stir well add the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and stir well. Let it come to boil, for a couple of minutes, then turn it down to simmer, add the thyme fresh or dried and the pinch of crushed chilies. Stir well, then let simmer stirring occasionally.
By now the water for the pasta is boiling, add the pasta to the water, stir it well so it doesn't stick together, turn heat to medium, cook until the pasta is just tender, not quite cooked, but still with a soft bite, (not crunchy), because it will cook more in the oven. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water repeatedly, until the pasta is cool and has stopped cooking, leave it to drain. Remember to stir the Tomatoe sauce,taste for seasoning(salt and pepper and crushed pepper) add more to taste, remember who you are serving this to so that it's not too spicy.
Béchamel sauce, as follows:
Heat the milk and the bay leaf in the microwave, for about 7 minutes, until hot, but not boiling, remove the bay leaf,set aside, put the butter in another large microwave bowl, heat for 30-40 seconds, until it's melted, add the flour, salt and pepper, stir, then put back in the microwave for 1 minute, to cook the flour and butter a bit, add the hot milk, a little a a time stirring the mixture with a whisk to thoroughly combine,it will start to become thick, put the mixture back in the microwave to heat and thicken, for about 2 more minutes, remove stir in the cream, or evaporated milk and 1 1/2 Cups shredded cheese- mozzerella and white cheddar mix is preferable. Put the dish together as follows:Mix 2 cups of each sauce together, then pour the combined sauce over the pasta, mix thoroughly, add more sauce if necessary so the pasta mixture is saucy not dry, then pour into a large baking dish, which has been buttered and sprinkled with a few breadcrumbs. Add cubes of your favorite cheese into the mixture, all over the dish, sprinkle the top with a mix of breadcrumbs and powdered Romano cheese. Dot the top of that with little bits of butter. You can also make individual casseroles,follow the same method, buttering and spinkling each with breadcrumbs, then filling with the pasta mix they are easier to prepare and freeze for future enjoyment. You can then cover and put in the freezer now, bake from frozen in the future,but for now, bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes, check the top so it doesn't burn, (cover lightly with foil if it is getting too brown) until the casserole is lightly browned and its bubbly around the edges. Enjoy!