Speedy eggplant parmigiana

I love a vege bake, and eggplant parmigiana is having a bit of a moment right now... so I decided to indulge. As the end of summer draws nearer I expect eggplants to actually become affordable - unfortunately, this summer that was not the case. $7 for an eggplant during eggplant season is daylight robbery in anyone's book, including mine - but I digress.

This version has four layers of eggplant, sauce, mozzarella and basil - so basically PACKED full of flavour. The best thing about bakes like this is they actually improve as time goes on. The next day, or even the day after, the flavours have improved and it holds together perfectly for slicing. So I guess what I'm saying is - it's a great dish to make ahead of the time you want to serve it, even a day ahead. Now that's the kind of recipe I love!

Normally I will slave for hours over a homemade tomato sauce, so to speed up the sauce-making I used a plant-based bolognese mix from The Carefillery

which is full of protein and damn delicious, making this speedy eggplant parmigiana not only speedy (compared to my usual approach!) but also downright good for you.