Marinara Sauce

I often try recipes that call for marinara sauce (for example - Italian Pork Chops, Pink Pasta and Zucchini Strips) but I don't keep jars of it in our pantry. Usually I'll just open a can of tomato sauce and add some Italian seasoning if I don't have some leftover spaghetti sauce available. Today, though, I went looking for an actual recipe. If we like it, we'll have it again!

Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced onion (dried okay)
1 can (28 ounces) diced or crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and briefly cook the garlic and onion. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15-30 minutes, or until reduced to desired thickness.

Updated: I tried bits of this recipe and liked a couple of techniques/additions. First they suggested chopping up a real onion and cooking it in butter (supposedly provides a nice silky texture) until carmelized, about 15-20 minutes. Then add some shredded carrots with the garlic, which eliminates the need for sugar, before stirring in the tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce and seasonings, which were basil and thyme, salt and pepper. What seasonings do you like to use?