In the summer, my cooking seriously improves. As long as I can get to a farmers' market and not mess up royally, dinner doesn't take much more effort than chopping everything up, throwing it into a bowl, and covering with oil and lime juice. Blushing red peppers, bursting tomatoes, crisp zucchini, and sweet corn were the inspiration for this summer salad.

The interesting twist this time was the use of boiled cheese tortellini. Kicking around in the back of my freezer, the ring-shaped pasta elevated this salad to greatness, without elevating the effort level. Though tortellini may seem unlikely, it gives a chewy richness that I found satisfying. A dinner of all raw vegetables can be too sweet and acidic (not to mention leave you hungry again shortly thereafter). But the tortellini solved this problem.

About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it here at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.