Layered Eggplant

This is my 2nd version of my "Layered Eggplant". I am varying the ingredients and composition to see what works the best. The 2nd version came out pretty tasty. This is a great substitution for a lasagne if you won't miss the pasta and cheese!

1/2 Eggplant, slice thin
3 Shitake mushrooms, sliced
2 Thin slices off a Red Onion
1 Small Zucchini, sliced thin
1/4 of Red Pepper, sliced thin
6-8 Black Olives, sliced thin
Big handful fresh Basil
10-12 Sundried Tomatoes (dry version), rehydrated in hot water
1/3 cup toasted Pinenuts
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Generously salt the eggplant, and salt each piece on both sides. Stack up eggplant in dish and place a plate on top along with a weight. The plate and additional weight will help push out the liquid as it forms from the salting. Let this set for about 30 - 40 minutes while preparing the remaining items. Blend basil, toasted pinenuts, sundried tomatoes, olive oil together along with about 1/2 cup of the juice from the rehydration of the tomatoes to create a pesto.
After preparing pesto and slicing vegetables, pat each piece of the eggplant dry with a paper towel. Start layering the eggplant in a glass baking dish with pesto and the veggies...and keep layering as you like. Add fresh cracked pepper between the layers. Drizzle with olive oil after layering complete. Add a little chicken broth or vegetable broth to the pan to give a little moisture. Cover the pan with foil and bake 35-45 minutes at 360 degrees. Midway through baking, check and if the mixture seems dry, use some of the liquid at bottom of dish to drizzle over top. Recover and continue baking til done. Note: I use a convection oven for the specified time and temp.