diff --git a/heat/engine/api.py b/heat/engine/api.py
index b0a4a668a3..74d4c75024 100644
--- a/heat/engine/api.py
+++ b/heat/engine/api.py
@@ -124,14 +124,13 @@ RES_KEYS = (
 )
 
 
-def format_stack_resource(resource):
+def format_stack_resource(resource, detail=True):
     '''
     Return a representation of the given resource that matches the API output
     expectations.
     '''
     last_updated_time = resource.updated_time or resource.created_time
     res = {
-        RES_DESCRIPTION: resource.parsed_template().get('Description', ''),
         RES_UPDATED_TIME: timeutils.isotime(last_updated_time),
         RES_NAME: resource.name,
         RES_PHYSICAL_ID: resource.resource_id or '',
@@ -144,6 +143,10 @@ def format_stack_resource(resource):
         RES_STACK_NAME: resource.stack.name,
     }
 
+    if detail:
+        res[RES_DESCRIPTION] = resource.parsed_template('Description', '')
+        res[RES_METADATA] = resource.metadata
+
     return res
 
 
diff --git a/heat/engine/service.py b/heat/engine/service.py
index 655810e2a1..fcac3341cb 100644
--- a/heat/engine/service.py
+++ b/heat/engine/service.py
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ class EngineService(service.Service):
 
         stack = parser.Stack.load(context, stack=s)
 
-        return [api.format_stack_resource(resource)
+        return [api.format_stack_resource(resource, detail=False)
                 for resource in stack if resource.id is not None]
 
     def metadata_update(self, context, stack_id, resource_name, metadata):
diff --git a/heat/tests/test_api_cfn_v1.py b/heat/tests/test_api_cfn_v1.py
index 938fb5aa58..d1d95cd501 100644
--- a/heat/tests/test_api_cfn_v1.py
+++ b/heat/tests/test_api_cfn_v1.py
@@ -1031,8 +1031,7 @@ class StackControllerTest(unittest.TestCase):
         dummy_req = self._dummy_GET_request(params)
 
         # Stub out the RPC call to the engine with a pre-canned response
-        engine_resp = [{u'description': u'',
-                        u'resource_identity': {
+        engine_resp = [{u'resource_identity': {
                             u'tenant': u't',
                             u'stack_name': u'wordpress',
                             u'stack_id': u'6',
@@ -1049,8 +1048,7 @@ class StackControllerTest(unittest.TestCase):
                         u'resource_status': u'CREATE_COMPLETE',
                         u'physical_resource_id':
                             u'a3455d8c-9f88-404d-a85b-5315293e67de',
-                        u'resource_type': u'AWS::EC2::Instance',
-                        u'metadata': {}}]
+                        u'resource_type': u'AWS::EC2::Instance'}]
 
         self.m.StubOutWithMock(rpc, 'call')
         rpc.call(dummy_req.context, self.topic, {'method': 'identify_stack',