2 hours ago, Susanwusan said:And what about the sauce, should it be tomatoey or gravy? And is there a typical carbohydrate and vegetable accompaniment?
Again, this depends on what you want …
If you strive for authenticity, you can have Italian meatballs in white sauce, baked in the oven, deep fried, in broth (btw: all with garlic 😉) and yes - also served in myriads of different tomato sauces.
As for accompaniments: they are usully secondi (the meat course) and thus served with contorni (side dishes, e.g. cooked vegetables and such, NB: potato is considered in this group, too). Carbohydrates (other than bread and starchy veggies) are served before.
