BLT Pasta Salad Recipe

I love summer and all the fresh food that comes with it.  My family has an obsession with fresh tomatoes from the garden and this recipe combines two of my favorite things from summer....pasta salad and BLT's.  This is another recipe from my favorite cooking subscription...Cuisine at Home.  This turned out to be a real keeper and will be made over and over!!!! The red "jelly bean" tomatoes were from my Dad's garden and the orange were from a local farmer.....added great color to the salad.

Cook
1 lb. dry campanelle pasta (in large pot of boiling salted water, drain and cool with water)
1 lb. thick-sliced bacon....then diced (reserve 3 Tbsp. drippings)

Whisk in a large bowl:
1/2 C mayonnaise (Hellmann's Original)
2 Tbsp minced shallots
2 Tbsp minced fresh basil
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp cooled bacon drippings
Add salt and pepper to taste

Just before serving stir in:
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
4 cups halved grape tomatoes (fresh ones are a must)

This salad is easy to make....and has great flavor....as well as being different from the usual pasta salad.
Great potluck dish that looks fantastic!