diff --git a/pkg/sql/explain_bundle_test.go b/pkg/sql/explain_bundle_test.go
index 9b6a76bd659e..51a1827ef478 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/explain_bundle_test.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/explain_bundle_test.go
@@ -276,11 +276,18 @@ CREATE TABLE users(id UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() PRIMARY KEY, promo_id INT R
 	})
 
 	t.Run("foreign keys", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// All tables should be included in the stmt bundle, regardless of which
+		// one we query because all of them are considered "related" (even
+		// though we don't specify ON DELETE and ON UPDATE actions).
+		tableNames := []string{"parent", "child1", "child2", "grandchild1", "grandchild2"}
 		r.Exec(t, "CREATE TABLE parent (pk INT PRIMARY KEY, v INT);")
-		r.Exec(t, "CREATE TABLE child (pk INT PRIMARY KEY, fk INT REFERENCES parent(pk));")
+		r.Exec(t, "CREATE TABLE child1 (pk INT PRIMARY KEY, fk INT REFERENCES parent(pk));")
+		r.Exec(t, "CREATE TABLE child2 (pk INT PRIMARY KEY, fk INT REFERENCES parent(pk));")
+		r.Exec(t, "CREATE TABLE grandchild1 (pk INT PRIMARY KEY, fk INT REFERENCES child1(pk));")
+		r.Exec(t, "CREATE TABLE grandchild2 (pk INT PRIMARY KEY, fk INT REFERENCES child2(pk));")
 		contentCheck := func(name, contents string) error {
 			if name == "schema.sql" {
-				for _, tableName := range []string{"parent", "child"} {
+				for _, tableName := range tableNames {
 					if regexp.MustCompile("CREATE TABLE defaultdb.public."+tableName).FindString(contents) == "" {
 						return errors.Newf(
 							"could not find 'CREATE TABLE defaultdb.public.%s' in schema.sql:\n%s", tableName, contents)
@@ -289,12 +296,12 @@ CREATE TABLE users(id UUID DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() PRIMARY KEY, promo_id INT R
 			}
 			return nil
 		}
-		for _, tableName := range []string{"parent", "child"} {
+		for _, tableName := range tableNames {
 			rows := r.QueryStr(t, "EXPLAIN ANALYZE (DEBUG) SELECT * FROM "+tableName)
 			checkBundle(
 				t, fmt.Sprint(rows), "child", contentCheck, false, /* expectErrors */
-				base, plans, "stats-defaultdb.public.parent.sql", "stats-defaultdb.public.child.sql",
-				"distsql.html vec.txt vec-v.txt",
+				base, plans, "stats-defaultdb.public.parent.sql", "stats-defaultdb.public.child1.sql", "stats-defaultdb.public.child2.sql",
+				"stats-defaultdb.public.grandchild1.sql", "stats-defaultdb.public.grandchild2.sql", "distsql.html vec.txt vec-v.txt",
 			)
 		}
 	})
diff --git a/pkg/sql/opt/metadata.go b/pkg/sql/opt/metadata.go
index bf0ff3e3f650..853f80976818 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/opt/metadata.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/opt/metadata.go
@@ -995,49 +995,43 @@ func (md *Metadata) getAllReferenceTables(
 	var tableSet intsets.Fast
 	var tableList []cat.DataSource
 	var addForeignKeyReferencedTables func(tab cat.Table)
+	var addForeignKeyReferencingTables func(tab cat.Table)
+	// handleRelatedTables is a helper function that processes the given table
+	// if it hasn't been handled yet by adding all referenced and referencing
+	// table of the given one, including via transient (recursive) FK
+	// relationships.
+	handleRelatedTables := func(tabID cat.StableID) {
+		if !tableSet.Contains(int(tabID)) {
+			tableSet.Add(int(tabID))
+			ds, _, err := catalog.ResolveDataSourceByID(ctx, cat.Flags{}, tabID)
+			if err != nil {
+				// This is a best-effort attempt to get all the tables, so don't
+				// error.
+				return
+			}
+			refTab, ok := ds.(cat.Table)
+			if !ok {
+				// This is a best-effort attempt to get all the tables, so don't
+				// error.
+				return
+			}
+			// We want to include all tables that we reference before adding
+			// ourselves, followed by all tables that reference us.
+			addForeignKeyReferencedTables(refTab)
+			tableList = append(tableList, ds)
+			addForeignKeyReferencingTables(refTab)
+		}
+	}
 	addForeignKeyReferencedTables = func(tab cat.Table) {
 		for i := 0; i < tab.OutboundForeignKeyCount(); i++ {
 			tabID := tab.OutboundForeignKey(i).ReferencedTableID()
-			if !tableSet.Contains(int(tabID)) {
-				tableSet.Add(int(tabID))
-				ds, _, err := catalog.ResolveDataSourceByID(ctx, cat.Flags{}, tabID)
-				if err != nil {
-					// This is a best-effort attempt to get all the tables, so don't error.
-					continue
-				}
-				refTab, ok := ds.(cat.Table)
-				if !ok {
-					// This is a best-effort attempt to get all the tables, so don't error.
-					continue
-				}
-				// We want to include all tables that we reference before adding
-				// ourselves.
-				addForeignKeyReferencedTables(refTab)
-				tableList = append(tableList, ds)
-			}
+			handleRelatedTables(tabID)
 		}
 	}
-	var addForeignKeyReferencingTables func(tab cat.Table)
 	addForeignKeyReferencingTables = func(tab cat.Table) {
 		for i := 0; i < tab.InboundForeignKeyCount(); i++ {
 			tabID := tab.InboundForeignKey(i).OriginTableID()
-			if !tableSet.Contains(int(tabID)) {
-				tableSet.Add(int(tabID))
-				ds, _, err := catalog.ResolveDataSourceByID(ctx, cat.Flags{}, tabID)
-				if err != nil {
-					// This is a best-effort attempt to get all the tables, so don't error.
-					continue
-				}
-				refTab, ok := ds.(cat.Table)
-				if !ok {
-					// This is a best-effort attempt to get all the tables, so don't error.
-					continue
-				}
-				// We want to include ourselves before all tables that reference
-				// us.
-				tableList = append(tableList, ds)
-				addForeignKeyReferencingTables(refTab)
-			}
+			handleRelatedTables(tabID)
 		}
 	}
 	for i := range md.tables {